Dr. Laura,

I owe you my new life. You are the ONLY person who told me there are no excuses for being overweight. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia AND PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) when I was 20, plus I have a history of genetic obesity. Over the years I gradually gained more and more weight and even my own family would excuse my weight gain saying it's not my fault, genetics and PCOS made me gain more than average people and fibromyalgia made exercise too painful.

Last November I heard you telling a caller that you just need to start eating less and moving more. Well, at the weight I was, it really did hurt too much to exercise (I was 205 lbs. at 5.8), but I could eat less. I tracked calories and started eating more veggies and less junk. In 9 months, I had lost 50 lbs. This last month I started exercising and found I was much less sore now that I no longer carried around all that extra weight. I now go 5 times a week for a full 60 minute class, plus I am eating more healthy than I ever have. I am no longer a victim of my circumstances. I will break the 150 mark in the next few weeks, a weight I have not seen for 10 years and I am THRILLED. Thank you for expecting more from me than I expected from myself.

Sharon