I started this blog with two friends several months ago – and since then I’ve stopped working out, started eating fast food and drinking sodas, and gained about 20 pounds. Oh, I could excuse myself (and have) – I started college again so I haven’t had time to go to the gym, I’ve had a lot of stress from difficult classes and job pressure that sometimes makes me feel like they still believe in the coal-into-diamonds method of management, not to mention the collapse of my parents’ marriage and my perpetual singledom…but in the end, these excuses are just that. I’m the only one who is losing out because of my weight, and ‘comforting myself’ with food will never actually solve my problems, it just creates new ones.

I realized last week that I am 25 and have spent my entire life hiding behind my weight. I keep it as a shield to protect me from getting hurt, because no matter how much I might protest it and get angry over it, the truth is that my size DOES keep me out of a lot of the dating pool, and it DOES prevent me from a lot of social activities wherein I would have to open myself up to new people. I’m ready to move out of my shell, and actually have the chance to do all the things that my weight has kept me from for the past 20 years.

I know I’m a few days late but I’m setting my health resolutions now:

Lose five pounds a month in 2012

Work out for 5 hours a week

No sodas

When I’ve reached my first goal – getting below 220 pounds – I’m going to reward myself with a skydiving trip. And when I’m below 200, I’m going to get SCUBA certified. This is going to be a year of learning for me, and not just because I’m back in college – it’s time to be the person I want to be.

I'll post another day with my measurements, and photos!