I am so excited for your friend... please do encourage her... too many people scoff at overweight people and give up on them... I am now a lifetime weight watcher... weighed 80 lbs more 8 yrs ago... my brother was 458lbs last yr and was having all the testing done to have gastric bypass surgery... the docs told him he needed to lose weight BEFORE they could even do the surgery! So they put him on a pretty restricted meal plan and he stuck to it... he's down to 320 and is cycling a lot because he loves it... as a matter of fact he did a 53 mile ride last Sept with me... he had to walk up the one big hill, but you know what? So did a lot of thin people...my brother has decided NOT to do the surgery as he has realized that he can lose the weight without it... he is currently having a mtn bike custom built to support his weight... they are putting a tandem chainstay on it amongst other things... he decided the cost is worth it to be able to complete his weight loss while participating in a sport he now loves... it's been pretty exciting seeing him really turn his life around... best wishes to you and your friend!