[mlholston]

Ummm...My name is Madison, I am 22 years old and 8 month old baby boy. I have struggled with my weight my whole life. My father was a body builder and I spent most of my life hanging out at the gym. Because of that, I have always been questioned about my weight and asked why aren't I thinner or in better shape. I guess you could say that I am just over it and even though I am not severely overweight, I am tired of feeling uncomfortable in my skin. I want this for myself and for my son. I want to be able to run around with him and have the energy to enjoy life. I am a "house wife" during the day and a bartender at night. My life now pretty much revolves around my family and working. My husband just started nursing school, so that has added some extra stress, but that happens. I will be starting my basics for a Dental Hygiene next semester! I want to learn to balance my life better while taking better care of my family's health. I am starting "The Three Hour Diet" tomorrow and if there is any advice anyone would like to give, please feel free!

[dhvaya]

Welcome, Maddy! (may I call you that?)

You sound JUST like me...eerily so, in fact. I too am a housewife / student, and I too am here because I want to have the energy to live my life better, enjoy my 20-month-old DD, and just have more self-confidence than I currently do. Alas, unlike you, though, I am OBESE.

I'm studying to be a dietitian (!), so this is about my credibility. My professors haven't outright said I need to lighten up (literally) but I can sense their discomfort that one of the students in their Dietetics program is OVERWEIGHT!

I've also been told quite bluntly (by seniors and fellow students) that if I don't lose weight by the time I graduate, I'm going to have a hard time finding a job because who wants to hire an obese dietitian to counsel patients on proper nutrition?