I weighed this week and I have finally lost 25 pounds! That is a third of the way to my goal of losing at least 75 pounds. I am so thrilled and excited. I think the key to my weight loss has been:
1) exercise! I exercise at least 6 days a week. I do aerobic activity on each of these days (such as kickboxing, zumba, cardio dance & step class) for at least an hour. I also do additional strength training 3 days a week for 30 minutes (using on a mat doing things like crunches and leg lifts).
2) diet. I eat the typically healthy stuff most of the time (like lean grilled meats, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy, etc). But I also treat myself every week (and by treat I don't mean a mini candy bar, I mean real food). I just don't go overboard with it and make sure it only happens once or twice a week. I think this helps me stay on track for the rest of the week. If I feel I have treated myself a bit too much I will cut back a few days or add some more exercise to counter it.
3) water. I almost always just drink water (and yes it is usually flavored but always 0 calories). At restaurants I might get unsweet tea so I feel like I've had something. I try to keep water around me all the time and sip it constantly.
4) I keep going no matter what. If I have a bad week and gain, if I eat 4 doughnuts and a complete chicken fajita meal in one sitting (unfortunately this is not hypothetical), or if I am sore from trying a new exercise. I just think of the end goal and how great it will feel when I get there. I make sure to not just focus on the final goal but to instead set "mini" goals that are easier to reach (I like to do 10 pound increments).
If you want to see before and after pictures or want more information on my weight loss journey you can go here:
http://thechubbyartist.blogspot.com/
Thanks for listening
Added 6/16/09:
I also wanted to add something that I forgot in my original post:
#5) No excuses! I am not sure why we feel the need to come up with reasons why we can't exercise (did not sleep well, sore, waiting for an exercise dvd to arrive, etc) or to eat right (will start diet on Monday, today is a holiday or celebration, didn't grocery shop yet, etc). Do not make excuses, just make it happen! The only legitimate excuses is sickness or an emergency, other than that eat right almost all the time and exercise almost everyday!