I propose a challenge mainly to myself, but it would be awesome if some of you would jump on board with me. My goal is to lose 25 pounds by the end of August 2013. That is about 2 pounds a week which is considered a healthy weight loss. Let’s face it. Some of these fad/starvation diets are not realistic. They are just diets and usually most people gain the weight back quickly. I am talking about some basic cooking techniques, portion control, and of course exercise. Please join me on this weight loss challenge. I will post daily, and I will include some of my recipes for success and probably include recipes for disaster. All we have to do is change some of our behaviors and exercise, and the weight should melt off. In the past, I limited my carbohydrates and increased my protein, fruit and vegetable intake which resulted in a successful weight loss. A well balanced diet is the key, and the key to a well balanced diet is cooking at home. There are no hidden calories and fats in your food if you cook it yourself. From my past experience, once goal weight is achieved, goodies can be incorporated back into the diet. But again, it is important to pay attention to portion control and of course exercise. I am ready to get started—I hope you are too. I will chart my weight loss (or gain) each week on the blog page and include daily menus and recipes. Thank you for reading this, and I wish all of us success in our weight loss journey.