Carole Tanzer Miller, features editor, writes: I have stepped on the scale for the world to see for the last time.

Carole Tanzer Miller, features editor, writes: A new driver's license and a milestone birthday sent me to the magnifying mirror in a panic. Is that scary visage on my new I.D. really mine, complete with the turkey neck, saggy jowls and droopy eyelids of an old woman?

You know the answer.

Carole Tanzer Miller, features editor, writes: If there's one food that's my downfall, it's cheese. I just love the stuff. So do most Americans.

According to the Washington Post, the average American ate 33 pounds of cheese in 2010 -- three times as much as in 1970. As the Post's commentary "One nation, under cheese" points out, few foods contain as much saturated fat. But I just can't resist.

Carole Tanzer Miller, features editor, writes: There's a funny scale making the rounds online these days -- one that lets you see just how much weight you've lost, in stunningly graphic terms. My health coach, Charity Husk, of Take Shape for Life posted it recently on her Facebook page, and it gave everyone a good laugh.

Turns out the 65 pounds I lost (and have kept off almost two years!) falls between the weight of a male elephant's (censored) and how much fats and oils an average American consumes in a year. Oh my!

Where do you fit in? Here are some other rough equivalents:

1 pound = a Guinea Pig

1.5 pounds = a dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts

2 pounds = a rack of baby back ribs

3 pounds = an average human brain

5 pounds = a Chihuahua

10 pounds = chemical additives an American consumes each year.

15 pounds = 10 dozen large eggs

20 pounds = an automobile tire

25 pounds = an average 2-year-old

30 pounds = amount of cheese an average American eats in a year

40 pounds = an average human leg

50 pounds = a small bale of hay

55 pounds = a 5000 BTU air conditioner

60 pounds = an elephant's penis

70 pounds = an Irish Setter

80  pounds = the World's Largest Ball of Tape

90 pounds = a newborn calf

100 pounds = a 2-month-old horse

120 pounds = the amount of trash you throw away in a month

130 pounds = a newborn giraffe

140 pounds = the amount of refined sugar an average American eats in a year

150 pounds = the complete Oxford English Dictionary

200 pounds = 2 Bloodhounds

235 pounds - Arnold Schwarzenegger

300 pounds = an average football lineman

The Obesity Control Center has a more detailed list. Check it out.

The Millers are fresh off a weeklong food fest we nicknamed "The Great Yankee BBQ Tour."

Some of you may wonder if it's even possible to get good 'cue north of the Mason-Dixon, but those of us who migrated to the Triangle from the Northeast know it is, indeed, possible. I'm not talking about the vinegar-based Eastern North Carolina variety, but there is definitely some good grub to be had. But is it possible to partake and stay within the comfort zone?

I noticed success first when my capris no longer hugged my thighs like a tourniquet. Then, finally, at last, the numbers on the scale started to drop. First, 1.7 pounds overnight. Then, another pound. Then 0.7. So I'm comfortably back in my five-pound comfort zone -- and I intend to stay there, if I can.

Success tastes sweet. And is calorie-free.

Got a bunch of weight to lose? NBC-TV's popular show "The Biggest Loser" will be in Knightdale July 14 searching for contestants for the upcoming season.

Producers are looking for "charismatic" individuals who have at least 85 pounds to lose. Contestants will compete for a grand prize of $250,000. Knightdale is one of 13 scheduled casting stops nationwide.

Think you've got the right stuff for the diet-and-exercise competition? Show up at Rex Wellness Center of Knightdale, 6602 Knightdale Blvd., between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. July 14.

A little more than three years ago, a Raleigh couple, Heba Salama and Ed Brantley, each lost more than 130 pounds in six months on the show.

More info: thebiggestlosercasting.com

That's the provocative title of an article by Jeffrey Kluger and Elizabeth Dias in the June 11 issue of Time magazine.

The piece is about the Daniel Plan, a diet program launched by Pastor Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose-Driven Life." Warren, who is 6-foot 3-inches tall, once tipped the scales at 295 pounds. He's lost 90 pounds on the diet drawn from the tale told in the Old Testament book of Daniel and has 35 to go to reach a healthy weight, the magazine reports.

I scoffed at the press release in which an electronics company touts its wireless phone headset as a weight-loss device. But maybe the notion isn't completely silly.

Hello everyone, 

Sorry for the long absence. I have been so busy that I have lacked time to write my blog. I am still fighting the battle to loose the weight.  I have begun going to the Farmer's Market once a week with two co-workers for lunch. It gives us something healthy to eat. 

I also have cut back on the amount of soda I drink and have been trying to cut back on the sweets and other junk food I eat. I have been buying healthier snacks. I am sure these two changes will begin to show results soon.

Asides from that, I am just trying to keep up with life. I hope my words although few are helpful to any readers out there. 

I look forward to reading your comments below.