I’ve started and stopped multiple blogs, each dealing with aspects of weight loss and my own successes and failures. I’ve also started and stopped multiple attempts at gaining control of my weight-related life. I can’t say there’s a direct correlation; mostly I think I’m excusing myself for abandoning my past fledgling blogs in order to embrace this new, clean, past-less one.

If only blogging kept one skinny, huh? If only it were that easy!

By way of intro, I’m a mid-twenties part-time grad student-slash-full-time research hound, married with two cats, living in a basement and am generally trying to make something different out of my life. As of the moment of this blog’s birth, I weigh 214.5 lbs — but “two fourteen point five and… go!” seemed a little cumbersome for a title, no?

My weight loss philosophy can be summed up as “slow and steady wins the race.” I don’t believe in crash dieting, and I don’t believe in holding yourself to unfair expectations. What happens when you don’t meet your own expectations? You feel angry, defeated, hopeless… and, if you’re anything like me, those feelings will inspire nothing but the desire to eat yourself into coma.

So for now I’m focusing on bettering myself, changing my habits, making conscious decisions about everything I eat. I want to learn to respect my body and treat it as it deserves to be treated. I want to learn to love myself for who I am–even if I am continually evolving–rather than expecting to be able to love someone who I might become.

This blog is a way for me to hold myself accountable. I want it to be another tool I use in my fight against fat. I will post progress, menu planning, meal ideas, recipes, exercise routines, etc… Anything related to this journey. I’m going to try to keep the personal stuff out of here, because I feel that losing the focus of this blog is not going to help me. In fact, it would probably just help me make excuses.

So welcome aboard, those of you who read this, and enjoy your stay!