My dad says I was skinny until I had my tonsils out when I was 8 and then I started to "fill out." But my weight really started to affect me my freshman year of high school when I gained 40lbs following the death a my grandmother. My grandfather's passing 6 months later pretty much cemented the weight gain and erradicated any inclination to lose it. I graduated weighing 150 which is thick for a 5'4" frame. I was 170 by the time I got pregnant with my first child and have hovered right around 200 ever since. I'm a single mother to 2 busy little girls, work 3 12 hour shifts a week, and go to school full time. Some would say right now is not the time to put more pressure on myself. But this spring I had a very real breast cancer scare and realized it's now or never to get my butt into shape!