Hey Miss Pokey -

Don't give up ! Every pound does matter; and as others have put it so eloquently in replies above, the benefits of low carb cover way more than our weight.

I want to comment on the rude comments & looks. First of all, they're insenstive louts! Don't listen to them, they ARE NOT RIGHT! You can't change them; you can choose to not let it in.

My favorite expression on this is "Their opinion of me is none of my business". Was hard for me to get this for years, but it really doesn't matter what other people think. It matters loads what I think (about me). It matters most to Pokey what YOU think about Pokey.

And lordy, I understand that pity pot. I've set on it & in it for what seems like years. A wise friend taught me this. When you feel the need, then climb on it or in it. The catch is: make a time limit. In other words, say for 10 minutes I'm going to max it out. I'm gonna wallow in self pity (or other negative emotion.) Don't do anything else in those 10 minutes but feel! Crank it up, cry, scream, whimper, whatever. Then when the time is up, STOP. That's it.

The technique is designed to let you express and feel and then LET IT GO. Easier to say than do sometimes, and yet - somehow giving yourself complete permission, and a boundary of a place & time frame where it's A-OK and not unhealthy, to let "it" come through can be super liberating. When you catch yourself heading toward self-pity the next time, the rule is nip it in the bud, shift your thoughts to something else, until you give yourself another designated "let it out" time.

For me, it was like any lesson - I couldn't learn to stay out of self pity all at once - and I still fall in from time-to-time - but I love not letting it rule my life!

Hope this might help~