Irishrose,I am sorry,I knew it was you or rita'smom.You both are so wise and so graceious that I do get who said what mixed up.Ya,it's not easy to lose weight,it just isn't.We have to be diciplined,eat low calorie but good tasting foods.Toss the junk foods out and don't buy them if you can't keep your fingers out of them.My hubby has a sweet tooth.So I buy him chocolate kisses as he loves them,and I don't.So,not a candy problem.He likes ice cream,so I but the fry's brand,he likes them and I don't.So,not a ice cream problem.Now if I bought the good brand ice creams and candy's.I'd weight 500 pounds,cause I can't say no/but this way of shopping,he gets his fix,yet I stay out of them.I do buy tapioka snack puddings.I can freeze them for a ice cream like treat.Also,I can put them in a ice cream cone w/a little cool whip.And it's a good low cal treat.And don't forget,sometimes we can put on up to 10 pounds of water weight on,not to count,if you been eating a lot and haven't deposited anything in the toilet,that could be it.This month I was up 10 pounds back to 168 and couldn't figure it out.Till I dropped the 10 pounds in 2 days,then it dawned on me,it was water.So,maybe we don't gain it all back.The main thing is to be brutaly honest and eat less.My mom bought a book a long time ago the was titled, "LET'S EAT TO LIVE,NOT LIVE TO EAT".We love to eat,lets face it.I love chinese food.I love Italian,you name it,I love it.But don't buy it.I can't buy it.Cause if I do,I'll eat the whole thing.So I don't buy anything,I know will do that to me.I had to break a lot of old bad eating habits.It wasn't easy,but had to be done in order for me to lose.I had to sacrifice my wants,for my weight managment.I screw up too,we all do.It's part of being a human being is 'lusting' after other things.I lusted after cake 5 months ago and gained 15 pounds.I just got it back off 1 1/2 months ago.So,it wasn't worth it.That was the worst screw up I've done in 4 yrs of getting it off.And I did it delibratly.I didn't care,I wanted that cake by gosh,and I had it plus 4 more.Well,then I got on the scales and saw the damage.Did I give up?No.I thought how stupid it was for me to do that to myself after all that hard work of losing 93 lbs from 250 to 157 pounds in 4 yrs.There is no magic pill.How did you lose it?Is always the 1st question I get.What did you do? Like I magically dropped it over night.No,I worked hard,cut the crap out,dropped calories,burned calories,drank lots of water,ate salads,portion control.Controlled what went in my mouth.And slowly it began to come off.4 yrs later,that's how I did it.Are you comitted to 4 yrs?6 yrs?2 yrs?1 yr? you have to be determined and make up your mind once and for all you mean business.I got sick and tired of being fat and made my mind up it was coming off.And I didn't know it was going to take the rest of my life,but it will because we do have to keep it off once we get it off.That is more hard work for me,because once I get to my goal,I can not start gaining again.So will have to find my calorie/burn intake to maintain it.So,bottom line is.No,it's hard to lose weight.But you can very easy if you get on a plan that shows results on the scales.That will get and keep you more encouraged than anything else.There is no magic bullet.Even surgeries,all they do is make you eat less,and you still have to work that program.Harder than a non surgery program.You can do it if you make up your mind and quit playing with fire and eating this,and then that,next thing you know your up 10 pounds or 15 like me because you got to have what you want to have.I want a lot of foods too,but just can;t eat them.I can't just have one.If I have a hamburger,I have to have french fries and a coke.So I buy patties and cook my own.I don't have coke,but stay with water.And have a smidge {2 TBS of potato salad.That's plenty and fills me up.So,just tweak your desires like that.That way your still on point,yet get a burger or what ever it is.If you will follow missy's things of what the dr said,like eat breakfast,have small meals,don't eat after dark,esp before bed.etc.Then you will begin to see the scales drop.Like I did.So good luck and above all,stay with it.Don't slip.If you want a slip,wait till you get 20 pounds off,then slip 1 day.The next day get back to business till the next 20 pounds is off.Don't slip in between tho.If you do,get back on and keep going,keep going!!!