The best thing you all can do for yourself is to *STOP* comparing yourself to everyone else...and that goes for those who say "Look at how successful I am. If I can do it, anyone can do it."

We are all unique individuals and while our basic anatomy is the same, they are not identical. Age, activity level, health factors and so much more go into how slow or fast we lose weight. Our reasons for being overweight will vary. Some eat for emotional reasons...some just bad habits...others because of a constant driving hunger. The dynamics of our personal lives vary. Some are able to remove all temptation from their home...either because they're single or they have fully supportive family members willing to eat the way we need to eat (healthy choices, no junk). Others have families unwilling to give up their own bad eating habits or who deliberately try to sabotage them for whatever reason.

If you want to compare yourself to anyone...compare yourself to *you*. Keep a journal of your progress and when you feel like you're falling down, read back and remember where *you* started.

Comparing ourselves to others will only help to make us feel like failures...and telling others "if I can, you can" (I'm paraphrasing) is only a way of grandstanding and saying "Look at me" while at the same time making the other person feel like a failure.

<kicking my soap box back under the table>

I second that! So many people on this site needed to read that!

This one deserves to be stuck at top of the forum forever!

Too many people look past those that are in much worse shape than themselves.