I am 34 years old, and I have been overweight by about 20 pounds most of my life.

I went to school at Texas Tech University. While I was there I was first introduced to the Atkins diet. I was about 50-60 pounds overweight at that time. While on the diet I lost 60 pounds in about 6 months.

That following summer I was part of a very intense summer theatre program that had me busy about 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, for about 6 weeks straight. Needless to say, I didn't have time to think about what I was eating at all. I got off the diet, and never got back on and gained all of the weight back not much slower than it took to take it off.

Over the last decade, I have been on the diet and then off the diet many times, always with one excuse or another.

The first of the year, when I weight, I was just under 300lbs. I have NEVER been that heavy in my life and it really got to me. I decided I would do the diet again, and this time, I am going to make it work no matter what.

More about me:

I work in the insurance industry.
I received my masters in theatre arts and I love to act and sing.
I am the worship leader at my church as well as co-chair of the drama ministry which I helped to start.
I love reading and watching TV (though I don't have as much time as I would like to indulge in those hobbies).

My first goal is to get down to my goal weight of 175lbs before the end of the year.
My second goal is to make sure that I pray about this diet every day.
My third goal is to do the diet correctly this time . . . working through each phase and maintaining my weight on the lifetime maintenance phase of the Atkins diet.
My fourth goal is to make healthy eating and living a way of life, and not just a weight loss program.

Lot's to work on . . .