I am 34 years old, married, mother of two beautiful boys, Grayson is 5 and Gavin is 2.  My husband and I have been married for almost 9 years and he is my rock through all this.  He is very supportive and understands that this is something I need to do for myself.   

Well, my story begins like everyone elses' pretty much.  I started getting heavy when I was about 10-11 years old.  I noticed I was different from my friends who were able to share clothes, but I was always too big to swap with them.  I was growing up in California at the time and body image was huge even at that age, so I was self-conscious from the very beginning.  So, I continued to gain weight slowly over the years until I was 16 and I weighed 170 pounds, so my mom put me on Nutrisystem, my first real diet.  I just remember being humiliated and HATING the food.  But, I know she was thinking of my best interests.  During this time I started pulling away from things where I felt my body got in the way of, such as softball (wearing the tight pants), swimming with my friends.  I was very involved with an outdoor activities program and went canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing, rapelling, and caving/spalunking.  I had a great group of friends through that and never felt self-conscious around them, so that was a huge change for me.  Well, then off to college and too much beer and late night Taco Bell runs!  I probably gained about 25 pounds during college and topped out around 200 pounds.  Then marriage, babies, career and here  I am about 258, how did this happen???  Well, after 17 diets, including the ever so popular, Jenny Craig, La Weight loss, Weight Watchers, Atkins, Nutrisystem, Phentermine, etc.... I am ready for my new life!!!