You're Going to Carry That Weight, Moms! The phrase is an old one, but the message is the same. I've been asked to talk about my Mom's battle with being overweight. She has diabetes and obesity in her family.

She put on some thirty-five pounds over the years. It was a huge struggle just to put food on her table. She has had to learn how to live with it and what to do about it. This is someone who has given me and countless other people permission to consider going through what she's going through.

She started off young, at forty-three years old, carrying just a couple of shopping bags. She was a big kid at heart, loved the outdoors, and had always had a great interest in reading books. It all started to change when she hit the dreaded four-pack. She couldn't understand why she was having such a hard time getting around, no matter how much she tried.

She started to see signs of fatigue and dizziness when she walked for any longer than a few steps. She started to get really lethargic at times. You might say she wasn't moving forward with her life. Her attention span wasn't what it used to be, and she didn't have the energy she once had.

At times, she would think she was dying. When this happened, she knew she had to make a change. She absolutely had to start taking responsibility for her weight and lifestyle. She realized that she was at a point where she was not only fighting her weight problem but also battling her depression as well. She needed help to get on a track back to health.

You'll find that doctors are all over the place, offering different treatments. You'll find that a doctor may suggest psychotherapy or even pills. Your best bet is to try out what worked for others like yourself, before you spend thousands of dollars on an ineffective procedure. There are ways to get back into shape, and you'll find that if you don't put the effort into changing, you'll never really accomplish anything.

If you think that it's too much to give up, just remember that losing weight is possible with just a little bit more effort. You should not give up no matter how hard it seems. Your life could literally depend on it. You will get back into shape, and your self-esteem will soar.

Don't let your depression hold you back. Think of your life and what you could do with the extra weight. If you can go dancing, that's even better. If you can run 6 miles, that's even better. Just being active and doing something fun will help you feel good, while at the same time giving you the energy you need to lift some of that excess weight.

Remember that the key to living a happy and successful life is to be responsible for your own health. Be sure to eat right, exercise, and to stick to your new diet. Be careful not to let others tell you that you can't do it. After all, if you're not a hundred percent confident in your ability to lose weight, why should anyone else let you?