Who are you anyway?

I'm Jennette Fulda a.k.a. PastaQueen. I entered this world weighing 8 pounds 5 ounces and came close to leaving it at 372 pounds. After several false starts, I started working my ass off (literally) on January 15, 2005. I blogged about it along the way because typing burns calories. In February of 2007, I officially lost 186 pounds, half my weight, and had a party in my fat pants.

Now I blog about my life after the "after" photo, which means I talk about everything from the time my mother handed out condoms in front of my office, to my never-ending desire to stuff my face with cookies, to the headache I got in February of 2008 that has never gone away. Yeah, that last part kind of sucks.

During a period of depression caused by my chronic pain in Fall 2008, I gained back about 25 pounds, but am not too bothered by it because at least I'm not crying in the parking garage alone anymore. Currently I'm working on regaining my health and not any more weight.

Didn't I see your pants in the bookstore?

Yes, that's me and my fat pants on the cover of the book I wrote about my weight-loss experience, Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir. It was published by Seal Press in May 2008. Everything related to the book is covered on my official book site, from press mentions to book events.

When I'm not blogging or working my ass off, I work as a web developer in Indianapolis, Indiana. I also freelance, so if you want to throw money at me, I will catch it if you contact me. I specialize in setting up awesome blogs and author web sites.

Has your blog been mentioned anywhere that makes friends and family proud and enemies jealous?

Why, yes it has! The blog and/or book has been mentioned in these places:

• The Early Show on CBS - 7/31/08
• The Today Show on NBC - 5/11/08
• Shape - August 2008
• Women's Health - July/August 2008
• The Globe and Mail - 4/17/08 (Canada's National Newspaper)
• The New York Times, Shifting Careers Blog - 4/15/08
• The Associated Press - April, 2008
• Glamour - January, 2008.
• The Wall Street Journal - 1/29/07

So, can you give me a brief tour of this here blog?

Sure. I post about 4 times a week. Check out my 3-D progress photos and my recommendations. If you don't want to read over two years worth of blog entries because your computer chair is really uncomfortable, I recommend sitting on a stability ball instead or just reading my best entries here. You can subscribe to my feed to get entries as soon as they're posted.

What is your secret, you incredible shrinking woman? (Please tell me it comes packaged in an affordable pill.)

It's rather flippant to say I lost almost 200 pounds through diet and exercise, but that's what the physics of the situation come down to. The mental aspects are way more complex and they're covered in detail in the blog and my book.

I basically follow The South Beach Diet, but I believe any nutritionally sound diet that has you eating less calories than you burn will result in weight loss. It's important to figure out what works for you. I don't believe one diet fits all. If you're looking for a magic bullet, talk to Harry Potter, not me. Diets are like religions, there are hundreds of them and everyone thinks theirs is the right one. I've never liked evangelists, so I don't actively try to convert people to my plan.

As for exercise, when I was very large, I started walking regularly and was able to lose weight. Then I started jogging several times a week, doing Pilates and lifting weights. These days my exercise interests vary and I do what suits me. I joined the YMCA in January of 2008 and have had fun attending various aerobics and spinning classes. I'm always open to trying new activities too, like tennis, even if my hand-eye coordination sucks.

How can I contact you?

By reading my contact page. And then actually contacting me, of course.

You are such an inspiration. Did you know that?

So I've been told. I try not to think about it or else I'll get a big head which would undoubtedly weigh more than my current head-sized head. And seriously, if you knew how often I still want to inject chocolate directly into my veins, you would probably be less inspired.

So, about that headache, have you tried-?

Has anyone suggested you might have-?

Well, there's no reason to get snippy.

Why are you called PastaQueen? Are you on some weird pasta-only diet?

Uh, no. My internet handle has always been PastaQueen, but it has nothing to do with the consumption of pasta. In high school I was nicknamed Jennetti Spaghetti. This turned into Jennetti Spaghetti, the Queen of Pasta. When I had to make a free e-mail address to use at a summer camp in 1997, I decided to use PastaQueen and I've been using it ever since. I do still eat pasta, just in moderation.

There is another PastaQueen online who sometimes gets accounts at big sites before me, but there is only one me, now half of me.