These simple words were gently given to me from a very dear friend and this statement, along with his steadfast support, unwavering friendship and total acceptance, provided the motivation and encouragement to embark on the most rewarding and enlightening journey of my life. The gift of words formed the basis of our friendship and sustained me on a journey of self-exploration, self-acceptance and a life-changing weight loss of 137 pounds to date.

Before that, I had truly given up on life. Each attempt to lose weight, no matter what program was chosen, brought a new failure to bear that inevitably culminated in an additional weight gain of 20 pounds and a step or two lower on the self-esteem scale.

At 51 years of age, I'd ballooned to 330 pounds and had finally accepted that it was better to remain there than to keep "dieting" my way "up" the scale with each resulting failure. Emotionally, my dreams had vanished and there was the realization that if I kept eating like this, I would die.

Here's what I did and what I learned:

1. You can't care for anyone else until you learn how to care for yourself.

2. You must forgive yourself and be as kind to yourself as you are to strangers.

3. You must institute a lifestyle change; "diets" do not work long-term.

4. You need and deserve the support of caring and supportive friends; DailyStrength is a wonderful place to find them.

5. Yes, you must count calories. What goes in, minus the calories burned, equals your weight. I chose approximately 1,200 to 1,400 calories per day.

6. Yes, you must exercise. You need this to be healthy and it builds self-esteem and helps you set and achieve goals.

7. Persistence is the key. If you keep this up, you WILL lose weight.

8. You do not have to deprive yourself; there are many healthy choices that will provide you with the flavors you are craving in a more calorie-conscious manner. (Example: 15 calorie pop sickles replace 150+ calorie ice creams, 140 calorie protein bars replace 350 calorie candy bars, grilled chicken and turkey replace deep fried chicken nuggets, etc)You can eat foods you crave, in small increments, by implementing mindful eating.

9. You will reach set points and you can fluctuate your calories up and/or down and change your exercise to keep your muscles in a state of confusion to get over those hurdles.

10. Upon reaching a 110 pound weight loss, I turned to Herbalife products to provide more protein and an alternative to having to prepare set meals; it fit my lifestyle better. I now use them in conjunction with my regular plan of counting calories.

YOU CAN DO THIS!!! It is our dream no one has a right to prevent us from reaching it, least of all us.

Eliminate the language that allows for excuse -

Not if, but when.

Not try, but will.

Not hope, but belief.

Then it will not be a dream it will be a reality, live into it!