So last night I was watching the movie "High Fidelity" in Spanish, and that got me thinking "what are the top 5 things that have helped me lose weight?"

1. Planned exercise, at leat 5 times a week.

2. Always having healthy food at home, never junk food

3. Little post-it notes around my place full of encouragement

4. My fiancee, who sometimes gets it wrong (ex. avocadoes don`t make you fat) but is always looking out for me.

5. 3FC, most of the time I donīt post since the keyboards are so bad I canīt type. But I`m alwaaaays watching

5a. The corner orange juice vendor, whenever I feel weak and want to go buy myself some chocolate, I always pass this guy who sells freshly squeezed orange juice with no sugar. It has saved me countless times.

What`s your Top 5? It could be Top 5 Healthy Recipes, or Top 5 Greatest Butt Workouts Ever, or even Top 5 Inspirational Quotes. Let me know!

Hmm so many options! I think I'll start with my Top 5 Inspirational Quotes!

1) This is the quote that inspired my blog and my username here on 3FC. “I believe that we learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same. In each, it is the performance of a dedicated precise set of acts, physical or intellectual, from which comes the shape of achievement, a sense of one’s being, a satisfaction of spirit. One becomes, in some area, an athlete of God. Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.” -Martha Graham

2) “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” - Maria Robinson

3) "To grow roses in concrete, one must first change the concrete." Michael Fullan

4) “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” -Emerson

5) "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” - Walt Disney

I have lost 21 pounds in the last 54 days ~ so based on that "loss" here are my TOP 5 ~

#1 ~ Eat breakfast ~ a healthy one!

#2 ~ Eat a healthy snack between breakfast and a healthy lunch

#3 ~ Eat a healthy snack between lunch and a healthy dinner...do not try to eat enough to pop your belly!

#4 ~ Drink a lot of water

#5 ~ Exercise every day (rest a day if needed)

And this little trick comes before even number 1 ~ come to 3FC and find the support group/s that work for you!

#1- Learning how to count calories and to read labels

#2- Learning what foods work for my body to lose weight

#3- Learning that incorporating exercise is the key to permanent results

#4- Support from my family who have cheered me on. Especially my boyfriend, who has supported me and not been afraid to give me a verbal kick in the *** when I'm feeling sorry for myself.

#5- Finally telling myself that I can do it--and not giving up even when I fail.

1. this place...all the support and friends here at 3fc

2. my dog...who always convinces me a walk is needed even when i'm tired

3. exercise

4. water, water, and more water.

5. bringing lunch and snacks to work..ensures i don't run out to get a "quick (yet unhealthy) bite"

Hey! My top 5 are pretty similar to everyone else's:

1. Counting everything I eat in my daily calories. Yes, everything!

2. Working out 5 or 6 days a week--aerobic machines, weights, walking every day.

3. Watching that I get enough protein and don't go over on fat, in terms of percentage of daily intake.

4. Allowing for some favorite foods along the way (and counting them. Yes, counting them).

5. Being accountable to you folks via my ticker, my posts, etc.

Jay

Mine are the top five signs I've been off-plan for too long:

1. My pants are snug, nothing seems to fit.
2. I have an accumulation of leftover ketchup packets and napkins in my car, from regular fast-food consumption.
3. I have no vegetables in my refrigerator and no meals planned for the next few days.
4. My back started aching at night, again.
5. My budget is showing an increased amount spent on restaurant food, and a decreased amount spent at the grocery store.

Yikes!

1) Breakfast is the key to everything. If I choose a low GI breakfast, I'm set. If I don't - the day can and usually does turn rubbish.

2) Exercise, exercise, exercise. I can't get over how much better I feel if I've got some exercise in during a day. I sleep better, I'm more relaxed.

3) Being accountable. I post here every day, and I account for everything I do - whether it's on plan or off. Before I've not posted on the bad days and now I do. I don't want to post about too many bad days, so the key is sticking to plan.

4) Support. I post mainly in the 100 lb club, a fantastic place where you get lots of support and encouragement, but also get a kick in the backside when you need it.

5) Belief. I'm going to do it this time and even if I have an off plan day, it doesn't mean I've blown everything and therefore should give up.

Here are my top five things that have helped me to lose over 100 pounds:

1. Exercise, particularly cardio...and more particularly -- my newfound addiction to running.
2. Counting WW points every day, but giving myself a break once in a while for sanity.
3. Letting go of the all-or-nothing mentality. In other words, I haven't eliminated any kind of food from my diet but have instead allowed myself whatever I want within my point range. This is the only thing that will work for me FOREVER.
4. 3FC, 3FC, 3FC -- posting and reading every day.
5. Realizing that I'm not defined by my past and I can redefine myself at any stage in my life.

Not necessarily in this order, but here are the top 5 things that have helped me:

1) Eating breakfast - I quit eating breakfast when I was 13 years old. I never realized how that messed me up.

2) Packing a lunch - Fast food for too many years

3) My husband and kids - They have been wonderfully supportive; from the very beginning when I was too fragile to have trigger foods around and all the way through. They have cheered me with each pound.

4) WATP - I didn't think I could exercise; these videos helped prove me wrong.

5) A belief that I HAD to lose weight. I have known all along that no matter what, I had to lose weight, even if it meant eating less and exercising. I decided early on, that if what I was doing wasn't working, I would try something else that did work.

My top 5 things:

1. Realizing that I could not go on living how I was. I knew I needed to do something, and it all boiled down to making the decision to lose the weight. I finally decided I didn't want to be fat any more and as they say, the rest was history. Once, I made that decision, that absolute commitment to a better and healthier life, I found will power and strength that I never knew I had. So for me, the mental game was THEE most important factor - bar none.

2. Ridding my house of the junk and adding in healthy foods, keeping it well stocked with tasty, nutritious, low calorie food. Getting in enough protein and fiber, 2 weightloss powerhouses. They've been vital to my success.

3. Planning out my meals and snacks. There is no way that I could have done this with leaving my daily food intake to chance. I absolutely had to (and still do) have my food mapped out for me.

4. Counting calories. My version of portion control and the ONLY thing that keeps me from overeating. Period.

5. Exercise. Something I always dreaded, never thought I could do. Surprise! When you want something badly enough (to be fit and healthy and thin) you do whatever it takes. It takes daily exercise.

Hi!! Iīve read ur posts for quite a long time, sometimes I post some comments but usually I just read (my english is not very good so I get kind of embarrased..)
But I loved this thread and I know this is kind of different to all the previous posts but here are my top 5 workout songs, the ones I use when I really donīt want to put on my sneakers and start running! Some are really old but I still use them!!!

5.- Noche d Entierro- The Benjamins (regaetton)
4.- In Tango - In Grid (electronic tango)
3.- Boys Boys Boys - Sabrina
2.- I Touch Myself - Saucy Monky

1.- Eye Of The Tiger -- thatīs the one I use when I want to stop running and it fills me with energy!!!

And I use latin music.. itīs "happy" and I like it!

1. Breakfast
2. The realization that I can eat anything I want, just not everything.
3. Reading - I read something on here about the Thin for Life books. I ended up buying both books and find them quite inspirational. I also bought the Volumetrics book and I read lots of library books. I read something everyday about diet, lifestyle, maintenance, cooking whatever. Sort of like reading the bible or the Big Book of Alcoholics anonymous.
4. This is not a race. There is no hurry. I believe that I need to change lots of my habits and this can't be done in a couple of months.
5. This website because I really look forward to reading how others are doing on their trudge along the path to a healthy lifestyle. And hearing how everyone's cats are doing.

My top 5 that seemed to help me the most....

5. Planning meals ahead. I always do a lot better when I know exactly what I'm going to be eating that day.
4. Counting calories. And learning to read labels and measurements, I never realized how important this was.
3. Drinking pleanty of water. I used to hate water, now it's basically all I ever drink now.
2. Exercise. 5 days a week, for 45-90 minutes has does wonders for me.
1. Patience. The weights not going to disappear in a week, just beacause I'm trying for a 1lb-1 1/2lb loss a week and don't see it doesn't mean I should give up.

1: Knowing that if I didn't get healthy my son would lose yet another parent.

2: Buying my treadmill and using it daily.

3: Cutting out fast food - this was huge - I'm in the car all day.

4: Actually weighing myself in February for the FIRST time in YEARS and not dealing with the unknown but actual numbers - it's fun watching it go down.

5: My incredible endocrinologist who encourages me and gets excited for me everytime I see him - he is open to suggestion and when I ask for something and give data to back me up - he lets me try things.