So, it's like this...

Hey there, this is Chelle... the other half of this social experiment. Cheers to the lovely Kerry for providing her witty and honest intro of our purpose here. So, let's dig right in, shall we?

Basically, I've struggled with some form of weight issue all my life. It wasn't until becoming a nurse, however -- with the associated crappy hours and constant trays of baklava at the nurse's station -- that my weight really got out of control. But here I am, 11 years into my nursing career, and a good 110 pounds overweight. Nursing didn't make me fat, though. Sure, the ongoing stress and constant shift changing has done it's toll, but ultimately it was my lack of planning ahead that has done my weight in. I'd frequently go hours and hours without eating, only to grab the closest, easiest, and inevitably crappiest thing I could get my hands on. And then I'd eat it... a LOT of it, and go to sleep. Good times.

And let's not forget my good friend Emotional Overeating. Hi. Been there, done it, loved it. Did it love me back? Eh, not so much. But I'm learning that by *planning ahead* and stopping myself for becoming ridiculously hungry, I can control this. It's an every day decision, and it will be for the rest of my life.

So what exactly am I going to do with this information? Well, for one, I'm going to work on letting go of the perfection monster. That bitch has been stalking me all my life, and I've willingly let her take over my eating. If I can't do it *perfectly*, I can't do it at all... and frankly, that's bullshit. It's a cop out because I know I'll never be able to "diet" perfectly. That's why I'm glad there's only 24 hours in a day -- it's important to have the mental chance to start over frequently, even if you have to do it every day until you make peace with the process. This is a recurring theme in my life, and one I'm working to get under control. I am my own worst enemy in this regard, as I suspect many people are.

I've started South Beach. Have I mentioned I'm a carb whore? Not as if you hadn't guessed that by now, but just so we're clear. Today makes a week on the program, and I'm feeling great. It's forced me to eat at regular intervals and stopped me from waiting until I'm ravenous. In fact, it's been tough for me to eat everything I'm supposed to eat, and the carb cravings are almost zero -- that's one hell of a change from a week ago!

Exercise is coming slowly. I haven't done too much with it this week. For some reason, it's tough for me to get both the eating and the exercising going together... but that's my goal for next week. Upward, onward, and off with these giant thighs!

So, that's me in seven paragraphs or less. Expect to see a lot *more* of me here, and a lot *less* of me everywhere else!