well my 2cents, I lived in Japan for a year, and when I arrived I weighed approx 225. Although I would have preferred to be lighter, I didnt diet, or try to lose weight, but I ended up having to walk (briskly to work) 45 min to an hour each day. I ate as much as I wanted, although Ido have to say the Japanese diet is healthier in some ways, more vegetables & seafood, less meat, smaller portions in general. On the other it can be salty, and high in preservatives. Anyway I started losing weight within the first couple of months, without even being aware of it, and by the time I came back to Canada, i was 185. (of course I no longer did as much walking, as the transit system is useless here and unless I want to spend 2 1/2 hours going to work, I drive) so gradually over the years Ive gained it all back and then some. (the food here doesnt help either)

the point is do not underestimate the effectiveness of walking, one doesnt have to do strenuous exercise to lose weight. It is a matter of getting into the habit.

Anyway, now that Im in a very happy relationship I no longer think about my weight, although I do focus on being active and healthy. Last summer I went on a hike almost every weekend and ran 2x a week, and really noticed the difference. I plan to make it a habit of going out and walking everyday.

one person above mentioned a Scandinavian study on the evolutionary advantage of fat storage. There was a similar study in the 90s on Pima indians in the US Southwest, who had extremely high incidence of diabetes 60% and other obesity related diseases. The highest in the country. IT turns out that they do have genes that help them store fat easily, which is a great survival technique. Store fat at times of plenty and use it when there is not enough. However in modern times that is a curse especially given the north american diet. Oddly enough, across border in MExico is another remnant of the same tribes that went south centuries ago, and yet there are no obesity problems at all. The differences are that the people are active, (working on the farm etc) and they eat a different diet, (low fat, hi fibre, etc).

the only other thing I would say is that whenever you are feeling down for some reason or other, think about the number of times a male ejaculates in his life and that in every ejaculation there are millions of sperm. (with probably no woman in sight half the time, much less an egg ready to be fertilized) And consider that of all those countless possibilities.. you made it!