What an interesting thread - and a great idea to draw a life line to spot possible causes for starting to gain weight. When I started my first job at 17 (a long time ago now) I also started drinking diet coke and that turned into an addiction that lasted more than two decades. One day I noticed how so many overweight people always seem to be guzzling diet coke and I realised I was one of those people! I managed to give it up completely and after a couple of months I thought that if I could do that then starting to eat more sensibly might also be possible. So instead of sitting drinking diet coke and eating crisps and chocolate every evening, I'm taking the dogs for an extra walk instead 
