I agree with fellow Calorie King member Margaret from Oregon that it is kind of sad to think that watching our food intake and increasing our activity has just got to become a daily habit for the rest of our lives. Yes, it is true - no way around it. And yet, doing that also makes me feel like I'm in better control of something that I've clearly not had control over for a very long time.

Last year, I went for a complete check-up with a cardiologist who also happens to be an internist. Luckily, I only have a 5 percent chance of having a heart attack in the next year, he told me. He took extensive labs to the tune of over $4,500 with Berkeley Heartlab in Northern California, a treadmill stress test and a nuclear study of my internal organs. One great service included in all of thsi is nine months of complimentary consulting with a registered dietician and fitness expert.

While I used to be a member of Weight Watchers (weren't we all???) actually two or three times in my lifetime since my mid-20's, this experience of working with Caryn is different. I never did like having to get in line and weigh in like a cow coming in from a good grazing day out in the pasture, which is what I usually felt like! Meet with Caryn is private and totally focused on me for 30 minutes. No clapping, product pushing, sitting in a large audience, or anything like that. I am the only one in the audience! I told her a few weeks ago that I felt "overwhelmed" by the thought of having to get back on track, after going through a weight loss program with a doctor at UCLA to help get me out of the diabetic range of blood sugar. I had lost 45 pounds on that program, and got my weight below 200 (194, exactly). He had me sort of Lindora-like diet of protein shakes or bars for breakfast and lunch, and then a small meal for dinner - about 1,500 calories and very low carb. Then, in the past year or so, I've gained back 24. So frustrating. It gradually crept back on and I didn't notice it until recently when some of my smaller clothes got tighter on me. I became very down on myself.

Caryn is non-judgmental, and has helped me decide on which (diet or exercise) I wanted to focus on first, instead of everything at once. So, I chose exercise, since that has always helped me in the past to keep my weight reasonable. We worked out a schedule of things that I can do to fit in each day, and not make a big deal out of it. One example is just taking my 15 minute morning and afternoon breaks at work and walking around our property. My office is up on a hillside about three miles east of downtown Los Angeles, and there is a small gym on the property with a treadmill. I'm learning to just put down my work and go. Also, once a week, I am committing to go to the gym directly from work and spend 30-60 minutes in an exercise class I like or just using some cardio equipment. Plus, on Saturdays and Sundays, I go with my husband to the gym - no excuses - first thing in the morning after coffee. I am learning to overcome my feeling of being overwhelmed, and just taking this one moment at a time. Another great benefit is the mental lift, which also helps me be less down on myself and stop obsessing about being overweight. Thank you all for sharing your own stories, which also inspire me and keep bringing me back to CK.