Hello? Hello? Anyone out there?

I hope so.

Cause I am...

There's always been so much I've wanted to do with my life...wear Manolo Blahniks every day, write about something other than sports (which is what I spend most of my life writing about), lose weight.

On this blog, I get to do two out of three. And if I don't mind wearing the same two pair of shoes, I can shoot for that first goal too.

In all seriousness...I've been the chubby girl all my life. You know the one--the one you always wanted to sit next to in class because she'd have all the right answers. And most days, she was nice enough to share.

You called her a friend, you invited her to parties, and felt COMPLETELY comfortable letting your boyfriend talk to her....but deep inside, you always thought she was a little off...I mean, she was FAT. (Hence why you knew your boyfriend was safe with HER!)

Well guess what...I'm tired of being that girl. (Although I promise, you can still let your boyfriends/husbands/girlfriends talk to me. I may be chunky, but I'm not vicious. And I happen to be happily married myself....)

For as long as I can remember, I've been trying to lose weight. My mom has been yanking cheeseburgers out of my fingers since I was 7. By the time I was 10, I'd already tried my first diet. By 14, I was a Weight Watchers regular.

I knew how to lose weight. What I didn't know--and frankly, didn't really CARE--to know, was how to keep it from coming back. Until it hit me, right before I got married, that never in my life, had I known what it was like to be thin.

I hadn't put on a two-piece bathing suit since I was a toddler (when belly fat was cute). Tank tops...I would never wear tank tops. Maybe that seems minor, but I was born and raised in South Florida. I think it's a requirement you spend half your life unclothed down here.

So 14 months before I walked down the aisle, I joined Weight Watchers. Again. And wow oh wow, did I make it work. I lost 60 pounds. When I got married, I looked about as good as I could remember. My wedding pictures were FABULOUS.

But I came back from my honeymoon so blissfully happy I forgot to get back on my diet. And for three years, I barely thought about it or the fact the pounds were creeping back on.

Not true. I thought about it often, but while my mind worked, my body was determined not to. I convinced myself that crying on the bathroom floor after seeing an ugly number on the scale would cause the weight to magically come off.

Ha, guess not. So I half-heartedly tried the South Beach Diet. Gave Weight Watchers another crack. Got desperate and told myself pre-packaged meals from Jenny Craig were the answer. I lost a few pounds, but it wasn't the progress my body (or MIND!) needed and eventually, I realized it was going to take actual work on my part (who knew?)

So I re-joined Weight Watchers. I dusted off my sneakers and got to exercising and here I am, down 6.5 pounds in three weeks.

Sure I've still got a long way to go, but I figure with a little encouragement from you (and my mom, and my husband, and my friends and anyone else willing to offer it!), this time, I'm going to make it work.

And I promise. I'll even wear a tank top when it happens...