I have familial hypertension as well. I was always pretty active and of good weight, ate half way decent. Then I got pregnant and whoa. Ya. My blood pressure spiked high. Then it was okay but began creeping up. And up. It does get tied to my weight/activity level but it's my genes. Hard to fight. I finally started Losartan which has been great. It did lower my blood pressure right away. You're on a beta blocker? is that for hypertension or anxiety? It might not be the best med for you if you are still running borderline high to high with your BP. I'm older than you but put off medication for a long time. Always wanted to self manage it but it became just a task of monumental proportions. Then my doctor made it clear by waiting, I was not treating my heart or body well. so I started the losartin which is an angiotensin receptor blocker. Once I started it, I actually FELT better. My bp was actually making me not feel well. So, maybe your beat blocker AND another med or maybe just another med may help you. That's part 1. Part 2, you know. It's not really about will power. You can still eat and be full and still get activity in by changing some things around. You can start food wise by picking something. To begin to decrease or eliminate. Sugar is a great one but overwhelms a lot of people. I couldn't give it up completely (too hard to even figure out) but I cut own. Example. I like peanut butter. I got a low sugar peanut butter. I then used bread thins instead of regular bread. And cut out any jelly. Tasted good, got used to it, filled me up when I used to eat more sugar and calories. I do have an issue with say certain baked goods like cookies. So, I stopped buying cookies. I just didn't have them. Pop. I stopped buying pop. If it isn't there, I couldn't have it. You feel kind of crummy for about two to three weeks but then bam, you DO feel better when you clean up your diet. And exercise. So, you've been inactive a good bit. Walk. Slowly at first. For 10 minutes after dinner. Then Another 10 minutes. Working up to at least 30 minutes a day broken into 10 minute increments if you need to. Working up to 30 consecutive minutes. Get some light hand weights. Sit in a chair if you have to. Lift the weights. Of course, do NOT do any of this unless cleared by your doctor! Start slow. You can do it. WE have a weight loss and dieting group here. They support each other. Want the link to that forum? They'd love to have you!