It took me pretty much all year!! I started in Feb 07 and went into RTM in mid October. I started off really well with food and followed RTM to the letter but gave myself Christmas off (like you do) and lost the plot for a while. I've gone back into abstinence now for a few weeks just to get back to where I was - it is a constant battle, I'm sad to say and think it always will be for me as I have a tendency to binge eat. I've found Lynn really supportive all the way through and because of her counselling experience she has always had useful insights for me to help me to understand my behaviours. The good thing is that if you follow the rules, the weight drops off really quickly - by the summer you will be at your target and able to eat all those lovely salads whilst wearing the clothes you've always wanted to. Great, huh!