I'm living - 25 hours a day. It's 6am I'm up, energetic and ready to go. I get the girls up and off to school and I go jog 3-5 miles. It's funny the 90 degree temperatures don't seem to bother me and I'm enjoying the extra attention I'm receiving from my husband. He'll find any excuse to swoop me up and.... On any day you can find me hiking, biking, inline skating or playing soccer with the girls!!! Oh we can't forget the shopping. My closet is still ½ empty and there's nothing in it bigger than a size 6. WOW did I just write that. Simply Amazing. Unfortunately this wasn't always my life.

I've been battling my weight for as long as I can remember. Up until April 2004 I was unsuccessful at reaching my goal weight on any program. About 7 years ago I reached a high of 335 lbs. Weight Watchers and Richard Simmons exercise tapes helped me get down to 260 lbs. Over the next three years I gave birth to 2 beautiful and healthy girls. Although I never climbed over 300 again, I was fluctuating up and down never getting below 260. Oh I did get close but I was nursing and sick that week.

In December 2003, at 292 lbs and wearing size 24, I was at the end of my rope. Although I did not have any weight related health issues, I knew if I didn't do something soon, I wouldn't be so lucky. So I made my 2004 New Year's resolution to lose weight. I worked it out that I could reach my goal for my 40th birthday. I joined Weight Watchers, once again, on January 3, 2004. I did lose about 15 lbs, but that did not last long. Unfortunately no matter how perfect I was on the eating program or how much I exercised, I stopped losing and even gained weight. I felt like I had failed yet again and was devastated. I began doing research on gastric bypass, but really didn't want to pursue that path. Due to challenges I faced with my insurance company finding a doctor, I didn't get very far.

One day, while channel surfing, I saw a program on HSN called "Six Week Diet". Hey I could do anything for 6 weeks, I thought. When I turned the program on, I immediately recognized Michael Thurmond as the fitness and nutrition expert from Extreme Makeover. The more I heard the more interested and hopeful I got. So I decided to try it. With a money back guarantee, I couldn't lose anything but weight.

April 27, 2004, the day after my 38th birthday, I began my journey. I lost a whopping 13 lbs my first week. Simply amazing. From that moment on I lost an average of 3lbs a week. The weight and inches fell off. The more success I had, the more motivated I became. I decided that if I could change my life style in order to nurse both girls for a year each, the least I could do was to do the same for myself.

All I wanted to do was get to a size 14, the average size of American women. Well I distinctly remember one Saturday morning crying in a Kohl's dressing room. I had kept my size 16 pants too long. I figured I'd buy a pair of tight fitting 14's so they would last longer. I brought 6 pairs of size 14 pants into the dressing room. Every single pair fit perfectly if not loose. All I could think of was that I'd be wearing size 12 pants in the near future, which brought on the tears. Two weeks later I was wearing size 12's. Friends from the 100% POP thread warned me that I'd be going through sizes much faster now. Before I knew it I breezed through 12's, 10's, and 8's. I finally stabilized on size 6. Instead of being the largest size at Lane Bryant, I'm the smallest size in Jones of NY (they don't have XS).

Now after 8 months, I have lost 115lbs and 112 inches. My total is 180 lbs gone forever. So you want to know the secret of my success. I was finally given all the tools I need to achieve success. I remained 100% POP for the 8 months I was in the reduction phase. Most importantly I have developed a network of friends, here on the 6WBMO chat forum, who are always ready to provide support. Having been Living Lean for 6 months now, I have never been so certain that I will maintain my healthy lifestyle.