My name is Dawn. I'm a stay-at-home mom with three children ages 12, 16 and 19. We're trying to get the 19 yr. old to learn to live on his own. I've tried to watch my weight as far back as high school but didn't have much of a problem staying thinner. The older I got, the harder it got. I am a sweet addict and the "no sweets" will probably turn me into a monster but I'm willing to try. About 7 years ago my weight was in the mid 190's and I was uncomfortable and sick of the way I looked. We got a neighborhood Weight Watchers group together (free because of the former W/W members knowledge). I did great because of the competition, basically weighing in with the others. I lost 30 pounds and felt wonderful but the group eventually broke up. I was scared about putting the weight back on but did good for quite a while. Eventually, I gained some back. I finally felt I needed to pay the cash to join W/W and did about 4 years ago. I did okay but not as good as I did with the neighborhood group. I'd say the most I lost was 15 pounds during the 3 years I stayed with W/W. I just wasn't into it going by myself. Finally, after my oldest son came home from 1 1/2 years at a private school (he has special needs), I left W/W. The two main reasons were: I felt we kept learning the same thing over and over. It almost felt like our W/W class was geared for the beginner. Second, I have to put so much time and effort into working with my son that it just takes so much time. During this last year and a half, I've hit the dreaded 200 pounds. I didn't think I've ever be that weight. That's what the scale said this morning and I'm tired of it. I'm hoping that with the friendship and support of all of you (and the competition) I can drop this weight whether I win the prize or not. Good luck everyone.