Success strategies:
1) Since your belief system will ALWAYS trump your willpower, change your beliefs.
BELIEVE that you deserve to be thin. BELIEVE that <insert comfort food here> is NOT your friend! BELIEVE that you are not making a temporay lifestyle change but a permanent one.
2) Your old lifestyle (diet + exercise or lack thereof) is what made you overweight. Expecting to return to that lifestyle after you shed your excess weight yet not gain it all back is ONE definition of insanity. So what if your best friend can eat ice cream by the bucket and not gain an ounce? Get over it! I bet you my retirement that your friend will suffer from adult onset diabetes in the not too distant future.
3) Many of us got fat by emotional eating (using food to avoid dealing with strong emotions). If you suspect that YOU are an emotional eater, do yourself a favor and get your hands on
Life is Hard, Food is Easy by Linda Spangle
4) Remember, the diet plan you choose as a road to a healthier/thinner YOU should have a sustainable lifestyle/maintenance phase. The place where you can eat HEALTHIER versions of your old faves. If you don't pick an eating plan you can live with longterm, you will find yourself constantly re-starting.
5) laugh outloud every day. It not only releases endorphins, but burns calories. Besides, life is short. Don't waste another moment in "might have beens" Start laughing. You'll be surprised how much better the day will go.
Happy shrinking!