Hello, again! I haven't graced 210SA's pages since the beginning of the year, but now I'm back. Well, not all of me. Happily, some of me is long gone.

In that original column, I resolved to change my lifestyle this year to become healthier and hopefully lose weight.

As of today I'm 20 pounds lighter. The “Scaling Down” blog on 210SA.com will take you through the journey so far, including workouts I've tried, menu items I recommend and other moments, both good and bad, along the way.

My goal weight is still 100 pounds away. That number used to seem impossible to me, but not anymore. There's no time limit or deadline. I'm taking my time and working at my own pace. I may not reach it for another year, but the point is getting there, right?

When I get to that goal, I'll weigh what I did when I was 16 years old. In my mind, when I think back to that age, I imagine myself as super fit and thin.

Then I look at pictures or video of myself, and I snap back to reality. I've never been super fit and thin. I've always had a big butt and thick ankles and that hateful arm-wobble thing when I wave. Losing 100 more pounds won't change it, and you know what? That's OK.

I might still have a big butt, but I'll be able to walk up a flight of stairs without getting completely winded. The thick ankles (don't call them cankles, that's just mean) will remain, but I'll be wearing a dress size that doesn't have an X behind it. The arm-wobble — well, Oprah's arms wobble, so mine can, too.

My sister and a few of our friends are doing this weight-loss thing with me, and we meet up once a week to weigh in and discuss our progress. We try to keep ourselves motivated with little activities. One week, our “homework” was to bring a photo of a celebrity who we think has the type of body we'd like to have. I brought a photo of Kelly Clarkson, and my friend chose Beyoncé.

I think these are realistic body images to work toward. Both Kelly and Beyoncé have curves, and they're gorgeous. There are actually quite a few celebrities these days who look healthy and beautiful: Scarlett Johansson, Kate Winslet, Liv Tyler, to name a few.

Even Britney Spears, who caught a lot of flack for how she looked at the MTV Video Music Awards, has a decent body. No, she's not Six-Pack Britney like before, but she was pregnant for like two years straight. Give her a break.

The point is, I don't really care too much what I look like. I care about feeling comfortable in my skin again and living a lifestyle that I can be proud of. I care about being around long enough to see the kinds of people my nephew and little cousins (and maybe someday my own kids) grow up to be.