My Mothers side is realtivly healthy but her family has the problem of losing weight (slow matbolsims) So I didn't have the best gene pool to pick from, but I can't blame everything on my genes. When I live in Seattle I loved to do stuff I ran around constantly and was skinny I live there for 8 years I was 9 when we left seattle and moved to Maryland. In Maryland I began to watch my god mother cook this italin dish and I was hooked there was just something that made it seem so applying. My frist step that I took to becomeing overweight was that I traded most of my phyiscal activty for the joy of Cooking. Thats right I love to cook but thats not what made me overweight... yes I did gain a couple of pounds but It wasn't the majority of it. I lived in Maryland for 4 years and the last year I thought it would be good to lose a few so I started deiting than two months later we recived a phone call, the next day after my parents had a long disscussin they gather us all around the computer and pulled up a website that showed people fishin and in flout planes and I piped up " are we going on vacation" and my mom said NO this where we where going to move!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She told me the place was called Kodiak, Alaska and we had lived there when we where babyies. I remeber going to my room and sitting there for awhile and just thinking. That was my first Crash and Burn I spulderd. I gave up every intention of loseing weight. I ate every thing I had wanted to try ( crab cakes and other things that where native to Maryland) I remeber the day we got on the plane my godmother was crying so much, my mon did'nt want her to drive home until she settle down so we where off. We stoped in seattle to see my older step brother and I rekindle my love of the city (It's the only place that has ever reallly felt like home) The next day we left to Alaska it happend to be my brithday.. ( I hated that day so much I will never feget it) But we arrived in kodiak and my dad had left a couple months eariler, but back to the story I got off the plane and out of the terminal and he handed me a pocket knife and said happy birthday ( JOY I was thrilled.. to be a freakin plane for over 5 hours and once we land not even get a hug form my dad that I had'nt scene in over 2 months) ( Before I go on I must explain that kodiak is very small island in the pacfica ocean with nothing to do and if is always cold) but then we met the welcomeing partys that where there to make us feel at home ( but I get pressure in my ears and I really couldn't here what they where saying I just rember shakeing hands with lots of people. But on with it . In kodiak food is expensive because it comes on a boat and the weather is crappy. So prossed food is what is in there!!!! Fruits and Vetchables are pricy and useally don't tast any good. So I gained most of my weight here because I ate processed food and was'nt very active. ( okay people.. give me a break how many of you would like to go running when its below 30 deggrees) But I did swim on a swim team and I loved it I had so much fun!!! But for the three years we lived there i found it to be very fun and enjoyable ( from the inside .... walking to the bus when the 4ft of unshovled snow on the ground is not as much fun as it sounds) But then we move to Novato,CA or Wine county!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have lived here for 2 months and love it. I have lost weight i go for walks I enjoy it alot. I eat great food that is good for you to!! I have found the greatest place to go shopping is at are local farms markets ( you should really see if there is one in you neighborhood) You find the best fruits and vegatbels and you meet really nice people . I looked around the market and I found a nice lady who makes cheese and she has a varity of low fat cheeses and they taste great. There are even bakers who make organic bread and use less fatty ingredients in the breads. I have finally found a place that I have like just as much as seattle THats pretty much my story I am slowly but surely going to lose this alaska belly, and eat great food that is healthy for you two Travis