Dear motherMarcus,

You know that you can likely do what you set your mind to...getting off your *** and losing 20 pounds can happen fairly quickly...and it helps with the mindset. I lost about 50 pounds in the last year. I found a ton of support on www.myfitnesspal.com . There are a lot of people who will support you in your drive to lose weight. And once you start doing that, then I think that other things can start to fall into place. Sure, you may not travel Route 66 in the very near future, but it is a nice goal to shoot for...I'm still trying to figure out how not to end sentences with prepositions...kidding...seriously, start slowly...don't focus on the weight. Just start with a bit of exercise. I know a person who lost 200...yes TWO HUNDRED pounds with only diet and exercise...and his motivation was to be around for his GRANDCHILD...so, he's no spring chicken, and he did it. I lost 50 because I was too tired of picking 50 extra pounds off of the gym floor...

I'm mired in depression now, but I'm setting small goals. I'm doing what I can do each day, working on successive approximations...if I get close to what I set my mind to for a day, I'm happy with that. It's operant conditioning at its finest...

Good luck!