Wolfeman -
bad habits are one of the most powerful forces in the universe. As you point out, breaking them is a monumnetal task. But rest assured, they can be broken and in fact, they MUST be broken.
The #1 cause of weight loss failure can almost ALWAYS be traced to the lack of skills in dealing with the negative emotions experienced on a daily basis during the early weeks of the weight loss process.
As I discuss in my book,
Weight Loss for Wimps (Amazon), you must learn to deal with the negative emotions and focus on the positive emotions associated with weight loss. This is the process of "
getting your mindset mojo."
If your brother is not on board with you at this time, find another friend or family member that will join you on this journey. Support is critical to your long-term success.
Instead of thinking "I hope to make it work," start thinking, "This is it...I'm going through this process for the last time. The changes I'm making are PERMANENT with no turning back. I WILL succeed."
If they let me post this link, you can find more bits of Wimp wisdom here:
http://www.weightloss4wimps.com/wimp-wisdom/
I'll be checking in on you here, so be strong and stay with it...it only "hurts" for a little while!