Dr. Laura,

One thing you said that REALLY got my attention was your comments about two years ago to an overweight woman. You told her she was lazy and undisciplined and she did not care about the impression she was making on others. OUCH! Those words hit home.

I have always struggled with my weight. I'm less than five feet tall, so I just cannot eat what others eat. I'm curvy, so I never have that lean look anyway. I love food, I love to cook, I love to be the hostess, and I love going out to restaurants. Some women sew, some make crafts, enjoy scrapbooking or interior decorating, or they work in the garden. My creative outlet in the home has always been cooking. However, when you gain five pounds a year every year, eventually you end up having to lose a lot of weight. I am not lazy in other areas of my life I am certainly disciplined, and I care a lot about the impression I make on others. Your words motivated me to quit playing around and to take weight loss really seriously. Sure, I had joined weight loss groups before, and I'd lose a few pounds, but once the initial excitement wore off and the pounds were not coming off so quickly, well, I would get frustrated and give up. Some friends from out of state got good results from a medical weight loss program, so with encouragement from my husband, I did the same. It was not inexpensive, but he said to me, "Aren't you worth it?" Cutting back a little bit wasn't enough for me. I needed to go somewhere where I had to weigh in daily and show my food diary and exercise log daily. Over time, I have completely changed the way I eat. With help from my program (and no medication), I lost sixty pounds and seven pant sizes to meet my goal last spring.

I could write another email just on the changes I've made and some of the challenges which come with losing that much weight. And I still need help. I've gained a little of this weight back in the last year, and I'm up one size in clothing. Sometimes it only takes a difference of 100-200 calories a day for me to swing from losing weight to maintaining to gaining weight. It is difficult to be disciplined every single day. I need the help and the accountability from others to keep my momentum up. However, the more committed I am to my goal, the more support I have received from my family, friends, and co-workers. They keep me away from the candy bowl in the office, the donuts at Sunday School, and the ice cream my family enjoys. They know I'm not going to eat their birthday cake, and it's okay. They don't even ask anymore. (Have you ever realized how many times it's someone's birthday?)

THANKS, Dr. Laura, for goading me into action. I will never forget those words that changed my life. I know you live them too.

Lori