Thanks for replying.
I have been on other forums and given up because of comments people make to each other - the worst one for me was BBC Ouch a while back - haven't been on it for a couple of years now as even though no nasty comments were aimed at me it was uncomfortable to read too many times. This forum is not nearly as bad as that one was (I hope it is a lot better now).
I just finished reading the Gary Taubes book Why we get fat and what to do about it - very thought provoking. I don't know if I am ready yet to take such a drastic step diet wise - but it did seem to make a lot of sense.
I put on most of my weight when I was very ill and needed a wheelchair all the time I wanted to do anything - I couldn't even transfer out of it. I can now walk again - which is great, it took a lot of work and effort and I appreciate being able to walk every day! I really didn't eat a lot while I was so ill - I didn't have the energy and would sleep most of the time - i lived on soup (even my jaw was swollen and painful...). Since I got a wee bit better my appetite came back with a vengance so it's a challenge.
Bye for now
granny