It varies for me -- but more often than not the exercise. I have never been big on exercising and just hoping that I can stick with it to keep the weight off. I have lost 40 lbs in the past and wasn't able to keep it off. I am just keep telling myself this is a life change not just a diet or a new thing to do for a while. SOmething I have to keep motivated to do -- that's not so easy sometimes. I do wish I had someone to work out with sometimes I think that would help.

The other hard thing -- cake and donuts. I miss them the most. I know I am not in a place that I could even take a bite. Maybe some day -- but not right now.

Sometimes I let myself get too hungry and then conume like 700 empty calories in snacks.

The hardest part is now - I'm about 15 pounds away from goal and have been here for about a month. Like someone posted earlier, I'll have a run of good days and then a bad day to cancel them out. I'm not gaining weight, but I'm not losing any either. =(

Staying motivated to exercise. I'm also ashamed to admit it, but but I'm having a problem with all the attention I'm getting now that I've lost alot of weight. I know people are just trying to be encouraging, but after years of being ignored like alot of fat people are, I find the attention distrubing. Anyone else have this problem?

The hardest thing for me has been realizing that I will have to devote at least a bit of attention to everything I put in my mouth ... forever. It's getting easier because after 9 months, it's just becoming a habit. I'll never be the naturally thin person who stops eating when satisfied. I get that. But I contrast that against the obsession and self-devaluing I did at my high weight, and it still looks like the best alternative.

I think the first real challenge for me was to get out of the "i'm dieting" frame of mind. I'm making a lifestyle change, and it took a lot of time to settle into a new way of thinking and basically living.

Exercise is still my number one struggle. I've always hated it and just would rather be active than do the same thing over and over again on a routine. However, I need to exercise so I motivate myself by challenging myself and giving myself choices. You know walks, aerobics, yoga, etc. Someday soon I want to start adding activities like hiking and things. I really enjoyed that when I was younger.

Exercise can be boring if it is just a routine. But I'm glad you mentioned hiking and other activities... those are things I was never interested in before simply because I was generally not an active person. But you know what? It wasn't until I started doing these kinds of activities that I realized that I'm exercising so hard so that I CAN participate in these things. Suddenly it's not exercise now, it's just a part of my life. Running, walking, playing sports, hiking, and participating in other activities is no longer just exercise, it's a lifestyle! Go hiking while the weather is still not cold. It will change your whole attitude about exercise. It did for me!

*nods* You are right totally. I mean I wasn't an athletic person, ever, but I did play some sports when I was younger. I remember loving tennis, even though I wasn't good at it lol. I loved to go hiking, see nature, do things...roll around in the snow...I spent a lot of time outside. It seems like when I step in front of a DVD and hear "okay now do this and put your leg there and your arm there and BREATHE" I go "good god" and sigh lol. My face is like -_-

Lately I have this TaeBo DVD that just is like and for now I feel like it is a real challenge, and it is for me, and I'm constantly moving and that is exciting. Finding things that are exciting are a key thing for me to learn how to change my attitude. I totally agree!

I really wanted to go to a wolf preserve and now that it is getting colder the wolves will be out a bit more. I'm wondering if I can do that...*thinks* That would be an adventure!

For me its def eating on plan and staying with it. I think if I ate OP I would have been at goal weight. ugh

Wow...everything was so hard first it was hard dealing with food! I couldn't control how much I ate and now I still have trouble some times seeing how much I should eat and holding myself back from eating to much of a unhealthy food. Secondly it was hard to get my butt to the gym and now finally I go to the gym without debating whether I should go or not.

Boredom. Gotta switch it up every once in a while.

I think the beginning was hard as you are making changes but not yet seeing a lot of difference in yourself. I am also finding that as I am nearing my goal it is getting hard as well. The good part is that I've seen drastic changes in my body so it's easier to stick with it, but the weight loss is getting much slower and it seems like it is taking forever to lose each pound. My recommendation is always to make small changes, only things you can live with permanently, with the goal being not only to lose the weight but to MAINTAIN. Good luck!

Definitely the hardest part for me was getting started. The realities of HOW to lose weight, I actually find pretty easy - getting my head in the right place, getting ready to just DO THE WORK, is what took time and effort.

Once the decision was made (and to me, making a DECISION was key), the rest fell into place and my outlook towards the work this takes on a daily basis changed completely. I don't even really see it as "work" anymore, because I feel SO. DARNED. GOOD. It may sound silly, but even if I never lost another pound I don't think I would go back to the way I used to live - I'm finally off the horrible craving roller-coaster and feeling good about the food I eat, and just physically feeling so much better because the food I eat now actually fuels my body (and doesn't just feed my emotions!).