I was a thin kid and teenager. Always had the booty but never had a weight problem. Even after my first baby I was able to reel my weight back in. I think that when my marriage started falling apart I started substituting food for affection. I had a high profile job and an unhappy marriage. I told myself that I needed "something" to make me feel good. I'm from Creole roots - a long line of women who used good, southern cooking to make me feel wanted and loved. So, as an unhappy adult I substituted food for love. And of course the weight came on...5 uncomfortable pounds at a time. I slowly ballooned up to 320 pounds. In 1997 I gathered up the courage to end my marriage. But it wasn't until 2001 that I tackled my physical image. With a combination of Weight Watcher's and Atkins I went from 320 to 229. For a solid year I went to the gym at least 5 days a week...faithfully. Well, long story short I'll blame an intense business travel schedule on my recent weight gain. I'm now dedicated to getting to my goal weight. After all, this life that we've been given ain't no dress rehearsal!