Hi. I'm Carol, 58, retired and living in Sheffield UK. For the last two years I walk every day with my two dogs and this has helped bring my weight down from a previous all time high of 190lbs. Over this last year I managed to lose another stone by following the 5 :2 diet but once I stopped have gradually put it back on again. I'm vegetarian and trying to become Vegan so eat a really healthy diet - unfortunately I then eat loads of rubbish ( the non vegan part of my diet - main culprits chocolate and ice-cream.) I know what I need to do but have trouble doing it - am hoping joining this site and following one of the challenges will motivate me and stop me pretending my portion sizes are normal. My main reason for wanting to lose weight is to help relieve problems I have with arthritis in my knees and hips. Having read 'Strong women and men beat arthritis' I have also joined a gym and want to strengthen my muscles to protect my joints. I'd really rather get a calorie balance by increasing exercise than by drastically cutting calorie intake - I just love food. I always make lots of new year resolutions and hopefully 2014 will be the year I manage to get my weight down to what it was in my early 40s.