I am kind of a lazy blogger and for months my About page has said “yay” or “.” or “This is the weight loss blog of a Mary, a girl trying to live a happy life at whatever weight she may be at.” The last one is very accurate but not very in-depth, now is it?

Today I decided to be less lazy and finally write a good About page. Well, it seemed good when I wrote it. It is subject to change at least once or twice over the next couple of days. Check my About page or keep reading for it…

About me (Mary):

When I graduated from high school in 2004 I weighed 255 pounds or so. I am not sure if that was my highest weight or not but that is the highest weight I ever saw on a scale. In high school I did my best to avoid those evil machines so for the sake of having a starting point we will say my highest weight was 255.

After I graduated I started working at a YMCA. I was suddenly surrounded by people trying to be healthy and live better lives. I felt so out of place. That uncomfortable feeling led me to start working out and eating better.

I did well when I started and that first year of working out and eating better I lost 50 pounds. Not bad considering it was my freshman year of college almost all my friends gained the freshmen 15.

I lost another 15 pounds when I lived in Austria during my junior year of college thanks to a completely different and healthy diet and tons of exercise – mostly walking through every major European city on the weekends for four months. I came home at the lowest weight of my adult life: 190.

When I came home though I encountered something that has been the main cause of my weight problems: depression. The summer after I came back to the states I ended up unemployed and living at home with my mom and terrible little brother.

Depression and boredom helped me gain back a lot of weight of the weight I worked hard to lose. Thankfully the numbers on the scale stopped climbing and I have been at 230, with fluctations of about ten pounds, for a year.

I started this website, and blogging about weight in general, at this point in my life as added motivation to lose once again. I know I can lose weight, but I also know that I can easily gain it back… and I don’t want to do that. I want to lose the weight and keep it off by living a healthier and, more importantly, a happier life.

All I know is that exercise and healthy food make my body feel better and make me happier so I will continue to add those things to my life and continue trying to achieve a healthier body weight.

So my weight loss journey is a process as I find out what makes and keeps me happy. I want to live a merry life at whatever weight I am at and that is what I am trying to do.

About the site:

First, welcome to A Merry Life! This site is a personal weight loss blog that focuses on weight loss, nutrition, fitness, and other health related topics, usually with a positive spin. It is my attempt to live a happier, healthier life through the integration of healthy habits into my lifestyle. I chose the name A Merry Life because that is what I want to live and that is what exercise and healthy eating provides me.

This site is not written by a doctor (med school was not my grad school of choice) and all content should be taken as what it is: a personal journey of weight loss. I try to post useful and healthy information but remember that what works for me may not work for you. Always contact your doctor before embarking on a weight loss program or fitness routine. And remember to do what is best and will make you the happiest because life is too short to be grumpy all the time. Now eat, drink, exercise and be MERRY!