Hello from Concord, NC.....

Just joined today. Weight going back up to record highs. Lost weight 2 years ago using prescription appetite pills that had horrible side effects but my Dr. was panicking over my rapid weight gain. He's a short petite man who probably has never had a problem with maintaining his own weight, while I have struggled since I was born. His wife is a Yoga instructor, so he offers me all kinds of nutty advice, like eating nothing but a small yogurt cup with granola on top for my entire breakfast everyday. I've been married twice, still with #2, both men complained about my weight gain during the marriages, current husband much older than me and has issues with his own appearance and health but still chooses to target my weight as a source of displeasure. Have spent my entire life on some kind of diet, sometimes being prescribed pills, sometimes joining groups like WW. Have tried NutraSystem many years ago, have joined at least 3 different gyms. Always had success but couldn't maintain. Too old, now, to jog or walk a mile without pain in knees and hips and back, but, gulp Ibuprofen and keep trying. Am shocked current weight and my Dr.'s show of anger at my yo-yoing....don't think it's very professional of him to berate me when I'm paying for his medical expertise, not his emotional and personal opinion. Have been laid off from major career job of 27 yrs for 14 months and have become a trapped housewife due to unemployment levels. Tired of being criticized all the time by husband and sister-n-law. Also tired of being expected to look like I did when I was 27 years younger as though I were able to stop time and go to my grave at 80 looking like I was only 30. I'm not stupid or illiterate, I get that I need to lose weight!

Thank you so much for the response. I feel so isolated since I was laid off and forced to retire. I get depressed because everyone in the neighborhood is gone during the day and sometimes I feel like the Bomb dropped and I am the only person left on the planet, and other days I am tickled to death to not have a job to report to, so, I realize being home all the time is going to take longer to adjust to than I thought. What's this P90X stuff I'm reading about in the other comments? Is it something you can take safely if you're on blood pressure meds?

If anyone wants to know about NutraSystem, I can help. Also, my Dr suggested Alli as a cheap over the counter solution but warned me that I couldn't eat ANY fat at all while taking it or I'd mess my pants because it's pretty much a TOTAL fat blocker. WW was fine, just really corny. The meetings left me feeling like cattle being led through the barn and the motivational speaker was always good, but I thought having your success or failure pointed out to everyone else at each meeting was too invasive.

Counting calories has always been the easiest thing for me to do out of all the things I've tried.

Thanks again for your kind words.