Thank you Snow Dog!  I always wondered about the sugar/insulin/fat connection but this is the first time I've actually heard a logical explanation.  I used to try dieting, I finally said screw-it and quit beating up my psyche about it.  But I do eat a lot of sugar and I bet that's where I am sabatoging my metabolism.  I always loose weight on camping trips and now I think it is because on trips the sugars I am eating are complex ones in the gorp and probably less in general because I substitute splenda for some of the others in my at home diet.