My struggle with weight began when I was around 13 years old. I had a lot of things going on in my life at that time. The weight was just the topper. I had to get braces, I wasn't growing is fast as the other boys, I started getting acne, I felt unattractive, and I wasn't very social. I was a ball of emotional issues, and the weight gain I think was probably a direct result of that. I started eating a lot more junk food than I ever had before, because it made me feel better at least for a while. I also stayed in my room for a lot of the time, I wasn't going out and having fun like most of the people I knew. All of this translated directly to weight gain. My parents noticed and they were worried about me. I think they were more worried about my mental health than my physical problems, but they were still very concerned, especially when they saw that I was getting bigger. They talked to me about it whenever they could, but I avoided it -- I didn't want to talk about it. I just wanted to deal with it alone, even though I couldn't possibly.

By the time I was 18 years old, I was 230 pounds, and my social skills hadn't gotten any better. I dreaded going to college, even though with my good grades I got into a great school. I wanted my parents to do everything for me, to get me into residence, to pay for everything. I just didn't know how to handle it. And the main issue was my weight -- I didn't want to face anyone, I didn't want to go outside, I didn't want to deal with anything.

My first year of college was awful. I felt really insecure about my weight, and I had a really bad time. I didn't really talk to anyone or meet anyone, and I ate a lot more and got even bigger. My grades started to drop because I didn't care anymore and I didn't do my work, I just didn't really do anything. I tried to hide it from my parents, but by the end of the year I couldn't hide it anymore. They were crushed. They just didn't understand what was going on with me. And I didn't want to go back to school. The only option I really had left was to talk it out with my parents. I explained everything. In the end they agreed to let me take a year off just to take care of myself, and they agreed to help me diet and exercise. They also told me about a diet diet called Nutrisystem, which decreases your appetite. I've never liked the idea of taking diets, but I was really willing to try anything if it would help me lose weight.

I let my mom take control of my diet. She's a nurse, so she understands a thing or two about nutrition. She cooked me healthy meals every night, and gave me ideas for healthy breakfasts and lunches. I had a lot of tofu sandwiches for lunches and dinners, and grilled fish dishes. For breakfasts I would have cereals or plain bagels. The most important thing my mom did in the beginning was make sure that I didn't sneak any junk food. She was really good with that, and she caught me a few times! But then as I began taking the Nutrisystem and that kicked in -- I no longer even wanted the junk food. It was all I could do to finish the light meals my mom was cooking.

My dad handled the exercise part. He used to do a lot of boxing, so he knows a lot about training and getting fit fast. He's always tried to get me to do exercise, but I was never into it until now. He got me working out in the garage, and showed me all kinds of simple things I could do with a jump-rope, and jogging on the spot, and some other simple calisthenics. I only did an hour every day, always with stretching, and I changed it up every day so I didn't put a strain on anything.

The working out was extremely difficult to keep up, because I've never done such a thing before. But my dad was very careful about making sure I did it, and he worked out with me. He didn't let me take a day off unless I was sick in bed. The healthy eating was much easier, because I actually liked the food my mom was making. I've never been picky about my food, I just always liked to eat a lot of it. But now the extra edge that the Nutrisystem was giving me just helped me out so much to cut out the unnecessary eating. I was able to stick to everything with the support of my parents, I've lost 110 pounds in just over 11 months. I can't desribe the way it feels, because it's now just the beginning of summer and I have a whole holiday to myself, and I'm even excited about going back to school.