Where it all started...

Yep! That's me as a baby. A bit chubby, eh? LOL I entered this world fat (weighed 10 lbs. 0 oz.) and it's been that way my entire life.

Growing up there were a few times I was thin, like when I had mono in the 2nd grade, but overall I was pretty heavy as a kid. I started dieting around the 5th grade and after the 7th grade my parents even sent me to fat camp. I'd lose a few pounds here and there but the pounds always came back and brought a few more along with them.

In the 9th grade I weighed 205 and went on my first big diet. I lost over 50 lbs. and got out of plus-size clothes and looked pretty good. After a few years I put it back on and by the time I was 19 I weighed around 210. Things went downhill from there.

Fast forward to age 26... I got on the scale after avoiding it for a few years and realized I weighed 269!!! I immediately started dieting and lost 103 lbs. in a year and then met my future husband. After a whirlwind romance we got married just 2 months after we met. Two months after that I got pregnant with our first child. With my husband being formerly married to a woman with a bad eating disorder, he was understandably a bit touchy about me dieting while pregnant. He convinced me that it would be better to go off the diet and start back up later on.

After an uneventful pregnancy I had our baby and the scales had reached 210 again. :-( I tried dieting, but as anyone with a little baby around knows, it's really hard. Every couple of hours I'd feed the baby and then feed myself. LOL We were on the same feeding schedule! :-)

A year later I weighed 250 when I got pregnant with our second. I actually did really well that time and only gained 6 lbs. I managed to hang onto that size for a year and a half before quitting smoking which made my weight skyrocket!

When I quit smoking in 2004 I pretty much gave up one addiction for another. I put the cigarettes down and picked up the junk food. Mmmm... Double Stuff Oreos, Fruit Snacks, Mountain Dew Code Red, Marshmallow Peeps, Reese's Cups... You name it, I ate it. After nearly 2 years, I've managed to stay smoke free but I also have an extra 67.6 lbs. to show for it.

So that brings be to today. After 47 days of dieting I've lost 18.2 lbs. I know I have a long road ahead of me, but I know I can do this. Wednesday is weigh-in day and I'm really hoping to hit that 20 lb. milestone.