Who are you? Who who? Who who?

I guess I haven't really said much of anything about myself here.  I know that everyone reading is probably a friend of mine, and already know the basics, but on the off chance a stranger happens upon my blog, here's some info.

I'm Ali.  I'm soon to be 34 years old.  My high weight was 235ish and my current weight is hovering right around 203.5.  Stupid Thanksgiving.  I live with my boyfriend of almost a decade and our four cats.  Yes, four, don't judge.  I am a Psychology student, and I plan to focus my study on GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender) issues.  I am a recent transplant to Denver via Miami, where I was born and raised.  I'm kind of in love with this state, so far.  I don't much care for the heat, but I adore the cold.  It should now go without saying that I am a weird gal.

My weight was pretty decent all through childhood and high school.  I was very active through those years.  I thought that I was a blimp in high school, but when I look back at pictures from that time, I'm jealous of that blimp-like figure.  I wasn't fat at all.  Kids can be so mean.

About 12 years ago, I started to gain weight.  I started drinking lots of wine and eating lots of crap.  I did this very thing for the next 12 years.

Cut to now.  Drinking went the way of the dinosaur about six months ago.  I tried having a drink a few weeks ago, and all it did was give me a headache three sips in.  So, without alcohol, I was free to actually attempt dieting.  Jason Mraz was actually the first person to make me think about drastically changing the way I ate.  I truly hope you know who Jason Mraz is, but in case you don't, he's an amazing singer/songwriter/inspirationalist that I think everyone should be celebrating.  Seriously, he's the bees knees.  He has a blog, and he posts a lot about positivity - both mental, and physical.  I admit to skimming some of these early posts, as I was a negative person, and negative people reject positivity.  But, eventually, I started to read them.  He started eating extremely healthily and practicing yoga.  His whole outlook changed.  He began living for positivity and health.  His girlfriend, Tristan Prettyman (she's an amazing singer/songwriter/inspirationalist that I think everyone should be celebrating), shares the same beliefs in food, life and positivity, and her Twitter makes me happy on a daily basis.  For the record, I hate Twitter.  Her Twitter, however, has been bookmarked and is looked at every morning alongside CNN and Facebook.  Between the two of them, they inspired me. 

I also have a friend - Rachael - who has been dieting raw and loves it.  I saw the transformation in her online posts - lots of positivity and happiness, lots of fun hiking and outdoor activities - and, I wanted in.

So, I started the diet and I started this blog.

If you're reading...thanks for stopping by and have a fantastically, deliciously, powerfully amazing day.