Don't drink your caleries is very good advice. After a few weeks of laying off of the Milk, Soda, Orange Juice and what not you won't even miss it. I have never had a weight problem (6'1 155) but I run a lot and eat ridiculously healthy. So I can at least offer some advice - even if I can't relate to the battle you must go through. 1. You are already behind the 8 ball. Staying at a weight isn't that hard - but losing 50+ pounds is a big task. In an ideal world everyone commits to staying in shape instead of having to get back in shape! 2. Weight gain or loss is really a mathmatical function. You eat more caleries that you burn - you gain weight. You eat less than you burn - you lose weight. There is a product called called BODYBUGG that is pretty expensive but can be a REALLY helpful too. 3. I think for those overweight already - lifting weights is very overrated. (Recent Studies have shown that having extra muscle doesn't does help burn more caleries. ie. You don't just burn caleries sitting on your butt even if you are ripped) If you have 30 minutes to work ou - you burn FAR more caleries running/jogging that lifting weights. Plus, and I see this ALOT at the gym...you aren't going to see any muscle until you get the fat off of the top of it. (Doing situps with a spare tire actually would push the fat farther out as your stomache muscles would increase) In addition, you likely already have significant muscle mass from carrying yourself around. It is a lot easier on my body to walk around at 155 that someone who is 300. Imagine the muscle I would build walking with an extra 145 pounds on my back all day! 4. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast. Only keeping healthy food in the house is a GREAT idea. It is hard to gain weight if all you ever eat are apples! But Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast are fantastic if you are trying to lose weight. (or keep it off) Red meat is extremely fatty and also high in caleries. Chicken Breast are WAY healthier - and frankly I like the taste alot more. If you are used to cooking with ground beef in recipes, just cut up the chicken breast into really small pieces and pretend it is ground beef. You will never notice a difference. I have gone from making Enchilladas with ground beef - tons of cheese - and lots of sour cream on top; to making them with chicken, fat free cheese, and fat free sour cream - and NO ONE can tell the difference. I took a horrible meal and simply substitued better alternatives and got the same great taste. Do that with every meal and you will be surprised how great healthy food can taste. (Bad food is just convienent) 5. Lastly...it's all about habit. I had a rough past week. Was up late doing work on friday night. I wanted nothing more to sleep in on saturday. But at 8:00 when the alarm went off I hopped out of bed and ran 12 miles - when it is a habit, you don't think about it. You just do it. Set aside the same time EVERY WEEK to work out. If you give yourself ANY leeway - you will stretch it and stretch it until soon you have stopped working out again. Unless you are SOO sick you can't go to work - go to the gym. (btw, if anyone wants great fat free recipes for fat free chili and fat free enchilladas- p.m. me and I would be happy to share)