If you look in the mirror and you don't recognize the person in it, pinch yourself and hope that you wake up. I had never actually taken the time to realize the effect my weight gain was slowly taking. Of course, I'd noticed that my clothes were becoming snug; however, I thought I could simply do a three-day diet, as I had done so many times in the past and instantly lose 10 pounds. So, I continued to put the diet off and tell myself, "I'll do it after the holidays, or after vacation." Before long I did not recognize the person in the mirror. My ignorance of a well balanced diet, reluctance to exercise and my newly lowered self-esteem made it even harder to deal with.
             A major factor in my weight gain was definitely my ignorance of proper nutrition and a well balanced diet. I was under the impression that I would always control the way I looked and felt. My mother had never taken the time to explain to me proper eating habits or the effect that it would cause when my metabolism did not react like that of a sixteen year old. Of course, my love for bread and butter did not help, either.
             However, my knowledge of exercise would have definitely been an asset for me, had I actually been as committed to it as I should have. I found myself exercising less and eating more. Needless to say, the more overweight I became, the less energy and momentum I had. I began making excuses and finding reasons not to exercise. Besides, who wants to go to the gym when every one there looks like a model? That was my most used excuse to myself, and it was partially true.
             In addition to the excess weight that I had gained on the outside, the majority of my anguish and pain was on the inside. My self-esteem had taken a blow that I might not be able to recover from. I felt that no one else could see what I saw when I looked in the mirror. Others saw the painted on smiley face and joking sens
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