I'm a 37 year old mom of two boys. I've always been an emotional over- eater but until I was in my 20s I was able to "get away with it" and stayed thin. I yo-yo dieted for many years and I eventually got up to over 200lbs - I stopped weighing myself.
In '04 I lost 70lbs and kept it off until '07.
I did this by becoming a vegan (whole foods, lots of fresh veggies) and abstaining from sugar. I started gaining weight after a stressful time - the death of my mom. I slowly started to eat whatever I wanted and ignored the conquences.
Over the past 1 1/2 years I've regained about 50lbs back. I really do feel that whole foods/veggie lifestyle is the right one for me and it does work well. The only thing I will change this time is to not be so "all or nothing" and allow myself a treat meal once in a while. I need to stay away from sugar for a long time though because it really makes me hungry.
I love the outdoors in nice weather and am so happy winter is finally ending.
I've already lost 7lbs so I'm excited. I know I have a long way to go but I'm glad I found this site. There seems to be a lot of interesting and knowledgable people here. I know I can learn a lot. I look forward to meeting you all....