Make sure you eat whole foods that are good for your entire body. This doesn't mean that you can't enjoy your food or make room for plenty of indulgences. But your conscious goal has to be to eat for long term health and what you do most of the time is what really counts.

I was a good 30 pounds overweight throughout high school, and it wasn't until I was going away to college that I really wanted to make sure I was doing everything possible to feel as confident as I could.

The only reason I write at all is because I am going through, and growing through, something in my life I want to share with others through my personal experiences.

My dad, who is a heart surgeon, works with many adult patients who did not take good care of their bodies in their formative years. He is able to teach them how to break old eating and exercise habits and reshape their bodies, but not without a great deal of resistance.

I didn't grow up eating meat - I was a vegetarian until I was 18.

Growing up in my family, it wasn't important that we always be the best; it was important that we were going to try to be our best and give it our all.

Don't get stuck and don't worry.