How wonderful that you've reach the 5 year mark! We just celebrated the same for my mom. :)

You sound like you're on the right track regarding what to do. It's just a matter of doing it. Can you go back to WW and Curves? Those seem to work. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to take that first step. It's sort of like the skiers at the top of the hill. They need a shove to get underway, but once they start, they just keep going!

Check out our "How we do it" topic at http://family.go.com/community/groups/lets-lose-together-grp/how-we-do-it--7213/. Here's what it says:

This is what works:

1- MOVE around every day, even if it's a 10 minute walk. Start slowly. This isn't a race, it's a way of life.
2 - ASK your doctor for a sensible food plan. He may recommend one of the famous ones. That's fine. Just stick to it. Don't let anyone or anything stand in your way. You deserve that!
3 - START your own food diary in our Topics. Write down your food every day and submit it. It will show you what works and what doesn't, and it will give us a chance to give you encouragement and feedback.
4 - DON'T eat when things are tough. VENT instead. That's one of the many reasons why we're in this fight together. We'll listen and sympathize. The food won't.
5 - DON'T worry about tomorrow. Just keep your feet firmly planted in today and think about how you're going to use the day to be a healthier person.
6 - JOIN the challenges - "Lose A Whole Person" Challenge and Our Weight Loss Tally. Join in and share your successes with us!
7 - FIND a weight loss buddy. Read through the topics and find a friend to buddy up with. Doing anything is easier when you have company!

Good luck, and remember, you only have to do this today!

Hi Stacy! How nice to meet you. I think a lot of us are emotional eaters. One thing for sure, like I said in my previous post, "DON'T eat when things are tough. VENT instead. That's one of the many reasons why we're in this fight together. We'll listen and sympathize. The food won't."

For some reason, we turn to food to comfort us because food is probably the most acceptable substance to use. The truth is that maybe we feel better for 10 minutes, then it's over. That's why we're here - to encourage each other, to give each other a place to vent when things are tough, instead of eating something that isn't good for us. The previous post has a list of actions that work, one day at a time. We can do it!

Hi All,

My name is Jairica, I am 23 years old, a student, and 5'2". Being short means I need to weigh less than any of my friends to be at a healthy weight. (I have a lot of tall friends lol) In high school I weighed 110 lbs, but after meeting my husband I gained a lot very quickly. In 3 short years I gained 76 lbs.

I tried dieting and the whole "eat less exercise more" thing, but that was awful, discouraging, and didn't even work. I would lose some only to gain it all back in a month. My aunt recently lost 50 lbs in 5 months and when I asked her how she did it she sent me the book Bodyfueling by Robyn Landis. It changed my life!

I have been eating CONTSTANTLY and losing weight without any trouble at all. I eat lots of carbs (in the form of whole grains and fruit) and only white meat (pork so does not even count as white meat). I don't buy anything that has more than 4 grams of fat per serving with the exception of a few healthy fatty foods like all natural peanut butter (of which I only eat the serving size of 2 TBS). I work out a minimum of three times a week, mostly walking with a little weight training and yoga mixed in.

The walking has been the best because my husband and I do 4 miles together and it is so nice to be away from all the distractions to just talk and hang out together for an hour or so.

In three months I have lost 31 lbs. It is easy and I feel great! When I say it is easy I do mean easy...I am not exactly a self motivator. Dieting is all about holding yourself back while Bodyfueling is all about letting yourself go (intelligently of course), how can that be hard?

One of the reasons I wanted to get healthier is that my husband and I are hoping that once I graduate school we will buy a house and start trying for our first baby. We celebrated our 3 year anniversary last month and it was like my biological clock set off an alarm. I can hardly think of anything else, which is weird because I have never been overly obsessed with babies like most of my friends.

Finding this community has been very exciting for me. I have been reading up on all the advice on pregnancy and starting a family and though I am terrified of labor, I am excited to read about how to deal with the pain and the wonderful thing that comes out of it. I love how supportive this whole community is and I plan on using that support as much as possible.

Losing weight is the one thing I think I might be able to give advice on and I want to give as much back to this community as I plan on taking from it! I am going to start a new topic in this group and post my paraphrased version of bodyfueling and hopefully it will help others as much as it has helped me.

My name is Glynne. I'm trying to loose about 80+ lbs. I started on my journey back to better health back in May when my cousin, hubby & I found we were able to put together at trip to Disneyland! We go in 2 weeks! WOO HOO!!!

Anywhos, I walk 4-5 times a week. Try to eat healthier---less junk food more fruits/veggies. Drink more H2O and less soda. It's been pretty good so far.

Back in 1998-99 I lost a little over 100 lbs. the same way. I gained it back when my life went a little haywire. I lost my dad in the spring of 2000 & then a job I dearly, dearly loved. It was a rather dark time, but I'm back & I want to be healthier to help myself.

I have been battling some health issues. I battle chronic pain in my sciatic region, my hands & left thigh. I've been seeing a dr & a couple of specialists to get to the bottom of it all. I really, really want be healthy at 45, which is what I'll be in about 60 days.

The pic posted is of me & my favorite Disney character of all time back in April '08 on my first trip to Disneyland. I'm going to take the same pic when I go in 2 weeks. May there be a differnce! I'll post it when I get back.

Good luck & better health to all of us!!! Anyone needing support, ideas or whatever...just ask! I've been down this road before...I'll walk with you. ;-)