Well, the theory of weight loss is simple and straightforward but the implementation can be much more challenging and convoluted. For those with a history of fighting to lose weight or keep it off, losing can be a day to day battle, with no real end in sight. There are bad eating habits which are not easily broken. Even when well controlled, a slip can result in a binge and even result in a complete relapse.

There are often significant emotional connections to food.that.further complicate the weight loss process. For me, circumstances I'm infancy resulted in me spending my formative years with my grandparents. If I'm to believe my grandmother's version,I came to her malnourished, with rickets. She spent the next decade making up for my misfortune and to my recollection, she was a great cook. (Bias there) To this day, 60+years later, if I'm stressed, sad or sick, I want the comfort of food. I have to constantly remember not to give in to these urges every time. I do sometimes go that way though, but I try to make sure it is a well thought out concession.

I've lost 60 pounds and I'm determined to not regain that weight but I know that for me, this has to be a lifetime commitment. It is not the first time I've lost a significant amount of weight but inevitably, in the past I have regained all the weight over time. This time I cannot afford to let(make) that happen. To be completely honest, having truly committed to my plan to remove the excess weight I carry, the actual process of losing has not been that difficult, a simple "less in, more out" equation which has garnered slow but steady results.

With time, (18 months) the day to day eating challenges have gotten easier to manage. More of it comes "naturally" now that it used to but that doesn't mean I can let my guard down. I will always have to weigh myself several times a week and be prepared for some short term dieting when weight creeps up but that is a burden I'm willing to accept. I don't want to forget the challenges weight loss presented me however as that will always remind me that those I meet who are overweight are likely to be fighting their own battles, as bad or worse than mine and they should not be judged by me.