hello all! I have been a lurker for long enough, (at least 100 pages recently and skimming over the past months) I think I am really ready to do this thing now. I'm tired of reading all of the weight losses and feeling left out and jealous!

Just a little background on my dieting history, about 2 years ago I lost 40 pounds on the Atkins diet , with alot of exercise. I would diet like crazy all week, and cheat on weekends. The weight came off, and then I got lazy. Halloween, a couple of birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and a teenage daughter starting high school, all of these things provided great excuses for eating!

Oh yeah, halloween candy! birthday cake! school parties for my first grader! (You know, I was the mom bringing in the vegatable tray, which by the way, the kids loved, but I could not resist the other moms cupcakes!!!) and of course, lovely batches of delicious Christmas cookies.

It's hard being a good cook sometimes. And yes, I meant that 2 ways, I am only a good cook sometimes.

But, to get to the point, the scale that I had been avoiding all winter (sometimes with a good little kick to get it out of my way)

finally jumped in my way and revealed to me that I had put on 25 of those hard lost pounds!!!!

How did I not know this you ask? Well, maybe you ask, maybe your just sitting there shaking your head thinking, It was the food you Idiot! or maybe your not even reading this ridiculously long post and and have totally bypassed it! But I kind of hid it from myself because it was winter (umm..in Florida) (umm... for AT LEAST 2 weeks!) and I was hiding behind my jackets and jeans. Well, I was trying to hide my behind but it just kept getting BIGGER!!! But when I went to pull out my summer clothes (shorts) they did not fit!!!

Well, they kind of fit, if you don't count the zipper being stuck in the down position... not a pretty sight. Trust me. I spent all of May and June on the south beach diet.... with NO CHEATING! and lost 14 pounds. But we had to cancel our WDW trip at the beginning of July (due to moving timeframe conflicts

,) so I gave myself the week off of dieting. (not like I would have been dieting that week anyway, in WDW, right?) Well, me and my big mouth ate 10POUNDS back on that week!!!

and more

But now, I am ready. (again) Yall have inspired me. I actually did 100 situps yesterday after reading about 100 pages of motivational posts. I admit, not having done situps in a looong time it was hard! But I thank you for the shove. I feel like I know yall, (not in a weird stalker way either) and I look forward to this challenge. Well a little bit. With cheat days. But you know what I mean! That's what is great about this forum, I actually feel like you all DO understand.