I am a mother of 2 (12 and 7) and a teacher of HS. I love camping and horse-back riding. I am a horse owner and I feel too cumbersome and out-of-shape to ride my horse right now. I don't like feeling this way. I was born fat into a fat family. I have been up and down the weight-loss ladder my entire life. I've never been "thin" just less-fat. I've got genetics and ingrained thought patterns to fight. Recently, a friend died of cancer at 49 and has given me much to think about. Is this how I want to live my life? Really? Self-conscious and uncomfortable? No. I know there will be times of difficulty ahead, and that's OK. That's why I am joining this online community; in hope that my struggles can be shared with other people in the same boat.