Hi Everyone, I am happy with my results from the first half of the contest but I find myself slightly behind the pace I set as a goal in the beginning. I am totally focused on the diet during this journey with a solid plan that will help me as a successful maintainer. My halfway result is a loss of 25lbs, but I am still miles away from the healthy weight I need to reach as a healthy maintainer. I am still about 45lbs away from the weight loss number I reached 4 years ago. I felt great at that weight and all of my clothes were big on me with nothing that was tight. Anyone that has struggled with weight knows what I am talking about. Goals are important, and even if I don't reach this goal by the end of the contest I will continue on this diet plan for life. One of the things that you realize as a person that struggles with weight is that being on a diet never ends. This is the most important lesson that I learned after gaining back the weight that I worked so hard to loss 4 years ago. We come from a society that wants instant results and unfortunately, Weight Loss takes time and a lot of hard work and sacrifice. One of my favorite sayings is as follows: No Food Tastes As Good As Thin Feels! Good luck and Be Strong! Bob