I have been overweight for as long as I can remember. It's nothing too dramatic, but I have always been at least 20lbs more than I should be. I am 23 now and I am determined to finally get rid of those annoying, depressing 20 lbs. My weight used to be a problem for my self esteem as I was growing up, but when I reached 18, i shed a few pounds and actually looked pretty good. I have a very curvy, womanly figure and I am lucky in a sense, because when I do gain weight, I gain it proportionally, evenly everywhere. I had reached an O.K. weight last year around April and was feeling pretty good in my skin. However, a change of lifestyle and certain unpleasant events caused me to get somewhat depressed and stressed. I moved from my very comfortable and happy town to a new city, where I had to go through an adjustement period. I got a 9-5 office job and found myself sitting down for loooong periods of time. Along with all that, I turned to drinking every chance I got to go out, and overdid it many times. I tried to join a gym but the high monthly payments had me working two jobs and becoming even more stressed out. So I quit the gym (I have small, perfectly usable gym in my building). over the next 5 months or so I gained 10lbs. I just could not care less about my looks or health, when all I could think about was how to keep myself sane from all the stress and changes in my life. And now that I have finally adjusted in this new place and now that it is getting warmer and sunnier outside, I am finally back to my usual self. But now I am also 10lbs overweight (on top of the 10lbs that I have always wanted to loose). I recently started working out (about 3 weeks ago) and watching my diet. At first I felt great and refused to weigh myself. I thought my clothes are getting looser and I was feeling better in my skin. But, oh the disappointment, when I stepped on the scale today!!! Not a single pound!!! I thought I was going to break down. I walked to work in complete despair. Then I got on this website and I feel so much better. I read almost every single comment on the forum and I am so inspired. I want to thank everyone's honest input on the forum because you guys really do make a change in a sad, desperate-to-loose-weight person like myself. I am not going to pay attention to the stupid scale anymore. All I know is that I feel extremely uncomfortable in my own skin at the moment and that those 20lbs are comming off no matter what it takes. I am not even going to weigh myself anymore, not until I can visibly see a difference and until the pants that used to fit me last summer are big on me this time around. Anyway, I really felt like I needed to spill all this out before I go crazy keeping it inside me. Just writing it down helps so much! Thank you all for your priceless insight.