Looking great, Julia!! I have the same problem, having been born into a family of porkers. We are not tall folks, yet I have one brother who is currently over 400 lbs, and another who has managed to reverse the process and drop from 400 down to a relatively svelte 280. Still pretty hefty for a guy who is only 5'8", but a big improvement. I have a three sisters who are north of 250 as well. One of them was over 300 until she had a stomach reduction surgery.

I too have started down that road a few times. When I have been in situations where work or relationships kept me from exercising like I need to I have put on a lot of weight, fast, and have gotten as high as 225 (I am a little bit shy of 5'5") but have managed to reverse the course each time. Currently I am doing the things I need to do to drop the extra pandemic pounds. Those things are stepping up my exercise, and trimming breads, sweets, and alcohol from my diet. It is frustrating because sometimes it seems as if I could eat nothing at all and still gain weight, but I also know that it is worth the effort.