Hi, Brenda. I'm 56 and have suddenly had a "moment of clarity" about my diet and exercise. My goal is to lose 30 pounds, but I'd be thrilled if it became easy, or even possible, to lose another 20 beyond that. In preparation for my high school reunion 9 years ago I got down to 118 pounds. I was running 3-5 miles 5x a week and I felt great. I have thyroid disease (Graves) and have had a hard time keeping my weight steady over the past two decades, plus I just let life get the best of me. I regained all the weight I'd lost plus a few, and am determined to reverse this to the best of my ability.

May I join you? I'm 59. I've been fat all my life (except for 3 days in 1989). I've lost (and gained) around 50lbs so many times, I've lost count. I now have problems with my knee joints, high blood pressure and severe 'body issues', which affects my social life and relationships.

For a while, I tried the 5:2 diet. I lost a few lbs but then found that I was losing 1/2 lb on lean days and picking up 1/2 lb on feed days. At the moment, I'm trying a healthy diet of fruit/yoghurt in the morning; salad in the afternoon; eggs in the evening (not no-carb, but lowish-carb). It's taken me 6 weeks to lose 4lbs. What are you trying and what works (please hear the desperate note in my voice).

Menopause hit early I was 42! Now at 48 I feel I am not able to lose a pound. I am practically a vegan and just cannot lose the weight. I have exercised, take synthroid for hypothyroidism, and I am at my wits end. Any advice would be great!