It may seem stereotypical, but I am coming out of a divorce and heading into a diet -- but not a diet so much as a lifestyle change. I was married for nearly 22 years and didn't even know how much stress I was under until he moved out last November! I did manage to lose about 15 pounds this year due to the stress and having my gall bladder removed, but I WANT to feel better for me now.
I am 5'9" and 210lobs. People tell me I look okay and that I am just big boned, but I know better. My goal weight is really just about 175. If I get there, I may consider more, but I'd be a size 10-12 and I think I'd feel pretty good. I don't mind being a bit of an Amazon-- as long as it's a Zena style and not Helga! I weighed around 160 in college and looked pretty good. I suppose that's thin for me.
My ex really did weight just 145, and was 5'6" -- and he weighed only 120 when I married him. We were a strange mix -- with him the size of an average woman and me the size of an average man. I didn't plan it that way. My dad is 6'8" and my brothers are over 6 foot, so marrying small was a challenge. However, we both had enough self esteem to look beyond it.
My mother told me a couple of years ago that she was sad that I had "wasted my life being fat." I found that an obnoxious and hurtful statement. I really haven't missed out on anything because of my size. I am very active and I've never not been able to fit into a seat, booth, or passageway. The largest size I've worn is an 18. I suppose I missed out on the affairs and flirtations that some of my friends enjoyed in their 30s, but I'm okay with that -- it's not my style.
I do resent having to work so hard to maintain or lose weight, however, I know that I am at a place now where I want this for me. If you're wondering if I am trying to get fit to get out into the dating market again, the answer is no. Over the last few months I've been talking to a very nice man and he thinks I'm fine the way I am. This is about me, and it's about time. I am looking forward to finding courage and strength here.
I just lost 145 lbs -- but that was in the divorce!
I did the same thing about ten years ago, really needed to be done!
to 3FC!
It's similiar to what to what I tell my still married friends when they say they have a headache. I tell them there is a cure for that - it's called divorce 
Dhani 
