I had been following the Atkins diet my senior year of undergrad, and doing really well with it. I'd lost about 75lbs and in the fall of 2005 I was watching the season finale of The Biggest Loser. It made me cry. The very next day I decided to join a gym. Although I was near my weight loss goal, I hadn't given any thought to the benefits of actually moving my body in conjunction with what I saw as (at the time) eating right.

I'm not always consistent and I have gained and lost in a yo-yo pattern pretty regularly over the years, but every time it's a little bit easier, and I don't slip backward as far. That's all I can ask on my journey.

I wouldn't say I love it. :) I enjoy the sense of accomplishment I get after a really good workout. I feel proud when I've run a little faster or a little longer than I did the day before. Just yesterday a man in the gym said that he was embarrassed because I was lifting heavier weights than he was. That sort of thing keeps me going, even when I want to quit. In addition, losing weight and strengthening my muscles helps to alleviate knee pain I experience due to osteoarthritis. I hope to one day become fit enough that I can stop taking blood pressure and asthma medication.