I think we all know that 'miracle' diets don't work in the long-term. But there are things which make all the difference to success or failure. Can you name one thing which really helped on your weight loss journey?

[I'll declare an interest here: I'm not a maintainer yet and I'm keen to learn all I can! Call starting this thread 'ethical behaviour'.]

I'll start off.

For me, it's cottage cheese. I like it, so that's a big plus. It's easily available. It's low fat, good quality protein. You don't have to cook it, so it's quick.

Should I buy shares?

The support, encouragement and great vibes from the maintainers have been wonderful for me.

Going to my Weight Watchers meetings (monthly at a minimum, but ideally every other week)

Exercising, vigorously, at least 4 times a week.

Not freaking out when I make a mistake; dusting myself off and getting back in the trenches. This has been a hard one to incorporate!

The one thing that helped me the most: the forum here at 3FC. I could never have done it without you guys (awwww).

Structure and planning. I pack all my food each work day for breakfast and lunch & keep the house stocked with healthy food choices. My exercise time is planned out and scheduled in. Routines make things so much easier for me. Basically I make it easy to make good choices and harder to make bad choices.

Good Question! There are two things that I always come back to to keep my weight in check. The first is writing everything down, usually only lasts the first 2 or 3 weeks of being "back on the wagon," but it gets me going in the right direction - keeps me accountable. The second key for me is planning and visualizing. I literally visualize myself turning down invitations to go out to eat and suggest a movie instead, or I visualize myself working through a craving without caving! It works!!

Oh, and I post here, and drag out my copy of Thin for Life and re-read it.

Fitday.

It was (and still is) my crutch.

The biggest key for me was realizing that I can lose weight without having to feel miserable and hungry ever. I've never been able to stick with any of my attempts in the past because I was always starving. This time I eat LOTS of good, healthy foods and I know I can live this way forever. As long as I make the right food choices, I can eat whenever I feel hungry! I lost over 100 pounds just by gradually cutting out most of the unhealthy junk I used to eat constantly and replacing it with DELICIOUS lower fat, higher fiber foods, and exercising. It's been almost a year now since I started and I'm still just amazed at how well it worked and the fact that I never had to feel hungry.

Everything that has been mentioned played a part in my weight loss. And there have been a thousand other things along the way.

However, if I had to choose the one thing that made all the difference in the world it would have to be accepting personal responsibilty. I had to accept that regardless of my surroundings, despite any other person sabotaging my efforts (intentionally or not), no matter how I felt emotioanlly or physically - every single bite I take is a CHOICE. Every meal, every workout is a series of decisions and I am the ultimate decision maker. The task of losing weight and maintaining that loss doesn't fall on anyone's shoulders but mine. Asking for and getting support from friends, family, 3fc, is invaluable but when it is all said and done I am still the one in charge of whether I succeed or fail. It took one diet after another before this finally clicked for me last year and I haven't looked back since.

The one thing??? oooo that's hard. But because so many have mentioned many of the things I would have put on a list, I'll choose .... the right to nibble. Once I figured out that I could eat all day long as long as I ate the right things ... I was in heaven!

My personal trainer .

She's changed my life. I never could have STARTED without her, and there's absolutely no way I ever would have made it this far without her, either. It's expensive, but worth every single penny. She's taught me billions of things about nutrition, fitness, and all the psychological garbage involved with becoming and staying overweight. She's also now a very good friend.

Posting here at 3FC!! Coming here made me realize that I was not alone in my struggles, and I HAD to keep track of calories and my food intake and Fitday has helped me in that end...

Persistence. I've struggled with the last 20 lbs. for over a year now, but since I started my weight loss journey, I've developed a determination to succeed so I still persist.

Everything above, and lots of exercise, mainly heavy weight training. Good thing I enjoy it!

Mel

Visualize the goal in my mind, understand why I am doing it and how. Bluntly - plan to win.

And all of the above... Especially understanding that Ia m not alone.

Sandy.