I agree that without thinking about the food, the weight doesn't come off for me. Until the past few years, I was always pretty active, worked out at the Y, mountain biked. Even when I trained for a marathon I didn't lose an ounce, because I wasn't paying much attention to what I ate! I think the more active you are, the hungrier you become, or maybe your body will want to remain wherever it's at unless you're being mindful about changing it. I know now I ate more calories while training than not, but at the time I just shrugged and figured "I couldn't lose weight."

I also need both. If I do one without the other, I won't lose a pound. If I do neither, I gain. If I do both, I lose. Easy math for me. :)

GrammyL - welcome, and jump right in!

Kimberly - YOU CAN TOTALLY DO THIS.

Sheila - I agree that the food plan is the most important part of losing weight. However, exercise is the most important part of how your body will look as you're losing. There are a lot of normal weight people with too much body fat. - I agree with and like what you said quite a bit. Especially the last sentence. I think a lot of people equate size with health too. Boggles my mind. Unhealthy food is unhealthy for everyone, regardless of their size!

I agree with the 80% diet and 20% exercise. I still lose weight on diet alone, but exercise makes it easier for me to eat healthy, so the two really go hand in hand for me. I feel so much better when I feel physically stronger and can feel my muscle or hold certain positions I couldn't before. I'm also thrilled about how much better I will look in a while after continued exercise. I appreciate knowing that I am working to keep my heart healthy along with my blood vessels, and so many other body tissues. These are important to me.