Whether or not you lose weight is really up to you: you’re the one who has to swear off cream sauce or get off the couch to go for a walk. But the people in your life can also contribute—positively or negatively. Here are the people who helped inspire our weight-loss winners to start losing weight and the support systems that made it easier for them to achieve their goals.

I asked the cafeteria lady at work not to let me have any unhealthy carbs, like pierogies, at lunch. So even if I wanted something unhealthy, she wouldn’t sell it to me. 
Carrie Morris, 32, lost 25 lbs

I used The Zone Delivery for three months. It’s very simple and you don’t have to think about weighing foods or food combinations. You just have to pick up the food every day from your doorstep.
Kim Sheedy, 36, lost 27 lbs

The biggest thing for me has been the support from my 10-year-old daughter, Hailey. She measures my success by hugs—how far her arms can go around me. We started at her fingertips and now we’re up to her elbows.
Dottie Kettle, 32, lost 103 lbs

I love the group support at Weight Watchers meetings. The insight and empathy of others on the same journey is invaluable. And you don’t have to bore your friends and family with your ongoing weight-loss battles.
Linda Knight, 58, lost 108 pounds

A year before I lost the weight, I had drinks with a woman and she said, ‘When your husband left you, we all thought that all you needed to do was get highlights and get back into the gym. Well, at least you got highlights.’ I didn’t strangle her but I was so insulted. I never thought I was overweight but obviously other people did and that was a huge motivator.
Georgie Binks, 50, lost 15lbs

Some of my relatives weren’t supportive and they wouldn’t have anything for me to eat at family gatherings—it was always rich food with cream sauces. So I’d eat a meal at home beforehand so I wouldn’t be tempted to fill up on what was there. They didn’t encourage me and that got me angry so it made me work even harder.
Christine Coucher, 34, lost 80 lbs