"Here I Go Again On My Own" - Whitesnake

Hi. My name is Erin and I am addicted to food.

This isn't my first weight loss rodeo, as we Texans say.  I know this game all too well. Start a weight loss plan with fervor, slow down due to boredom and eventually, give up and eat the damn pizza that is calling my name.  I've been through the cycle since I was about 6 and consider myself somewhat of an expert in weight loss. If you have a question, I can just about guarantee I know the answer....just can't seem to put it into play. But it's time to get real.

As my boss once said, everyone has a story. My story is that I have been addicted to food since before I can remember. I am pretty sure it had to do with the fact that A) I was the first granddaughter to a food-lovin', Puerto Rican family and that B) I was the only child to parents who let their child eat just about whatever they want. I can somewhat recall going to my 1st nutritionist at the age of 6. Yes, six.  Food was delicious, it was my friend. It made me feel good.

So skip ahead to today. I'm 27, a wife and mother, a teacher and a food addict.  I'm tipping the scales at my highest weight ever. I can feel my body wearing out in ways that I haven't felt before. It's harder to get up out of a chair, my "fat" jeans have become my "skinny" jeans and I am choosy about what chair I sit in.  I've lived this life for so long that it's become my identity. The fact of the matter is though, this identity is killing me and it's killing my family.

So it's time for an identity change. My goal is to change my lifestyle; eat healthier, exercise and just be an overall good person, wife and mother.  If I lose weight, then bonus!

I start my new identity on January 2nd by starting Weight Watchers. I'm not sure if I will go to a meeting or just do the online stuff. My mom is a professional Weight Watcher so I can easily get all of the materials from her.

Thanks for reading. If you're out there, let me know. I want to know that I'm not alone in my struggle. I know I can do this. I've known since I was 6 that I can do this. But there has always been a pay-off to being overweight. I'm still trying to figure out what that is.