Cybes,

I'm with you. I started because of health concerns.

I'm not going to kid you. It's not easy. It involves changing your lifestyle if you want to be successful. The saying that keeps me going is, “There are two types of pain you will go through in life, the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. Discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tonnes.” I plan on being around a year from now and want to be healthier than I am.

It's one step at a time and that step is not always forward. The first few pounds come off easily, no matter what kind of diet you do. But there does come a time when you hit the wall. It's at that point that you remember the basics and know that it happens to all of us.

A few things that helped me along the way:

1) As Zoogirl mentioned, find a diet that works for you. I started with Atkins. I hated Stage 1 and couldn't have lived like that, so I started at Stage 2, knowing that I would lose weight more slowly. But the added flexibility has also meant that I could stick to it.

I'm not sure that this is the best plan for me for the long term, but it's been a good start.

2) Read this article: http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=365499

Then read it again. And again. The scale is not your friend. Yes, over the long-term, you want the general direction to be down. But it will fool with you along the way. I have tried to cut my weigh-in down to once per week, knowing that if I do it any more frequently, I'll drive myself nuts (umm, nuts insert Homer Simpson drooling). I made the mistake of breaking my Monday-only rule today and was annoyed to find myself up since my last weigh-in. Drink lots of water. Yes, it will increase your weight the first few times you weigh in. But eventually, your body adjusts. Trust the science, not the scale.

3) Keep some "healthy" food around for emergencies. Don't go hungry. There's a difference between "I'm bored" and "I'm hungry." I've been overweight/obese for so long that those two sort of blend for me, and the hardest part for me has been knowing which is which. But starving yourself doesn't work[B]. We all know that. We've all done it. So, whatever diet you choose, keep some allowable food around, just in case.

4) And finally, please rely on this forum for moral support. The people here are kind and helpful, and they are rooting for you to succeed. There are no frienemies here. I've only been here six weeks but have posted here more than once just because I was feeling down. People here know the exact combination of tough love and compassion, and we've all been there. In fact, most of us are still there.

Bottom Line: You can do this. I know you can. I've never met you but I believe in you, and so does everyone else here. It's not easy, but it's doable and you'll appreciate it a little bit more as you go. The horrible cravings that you feel will subside, although they will likely never go away completely. But your life literally depends on it and, I promise you, the first time that your clothes don't fit or that somebody tells you that you look good, it will make all the effort worth it. Reread the article in #2. Trust the science. Understand that you will hit a wall and that you will eventually make it over that wall. We're with you.

Mike