I think I am the poster child for the roller coaster ride of weight loss.

My ride started in 1989 when my mom and I attended a Weight Watcher's meeting. I was 14 and 175lbs. All along this ride, I have held strongly to the belief that I wasn't going to take any shortcuts - no pills, powders, potions, etc. for me. Instead, like so many people, I joined programs like Weight Watcher's or Weigh Down multiple times. I'd experience success for a short while, but then eventually go back to what was easy and comfortable, and voila! the weight would come back.

My Junior year of college (1995), my mom was diagnosed with a Pituitary tumor. Through testing, they found out that she had an under active thyroid - or hypothyroidism. Lo and behold, it was decided to check my thyroid levels as well, and it turned out that I too had an under active thyroid. Finally! Something I could point to and say "That's the reason I have so much extra fat!" Um . . . maybe. Or it more likely could be the foods I was eating and the amount of exercise I wasn't getting.