I think the people who are the most successful are the ones who make decisions about their diet that are life-long and small, instead of intense and short-term. So with that in mind, I'm personally trying to lose weight slowly instead of quickly, and work on changing my preferences and the way I think about food.
So on that front (because changing preferences SOUNDS impossible), I've started paying a lot more attention to ingredients lists, and looked into what some of those chemicals really are. That's helped to turn me off processed foods. I'm also paying a lot of attention to what fills me up and what leaves me feeling hungry, and in general I'm just eating more whole foods. I count calories, and stay in a mild deficit so I'll lose about 3 lb/mo.
I've been on two diets before and both times I lost 40-45 pounds, but both times I gained it all back with interest. So I was really scared to start "dieting" again.
Coming here and seeing success stories has helped me see it's possible to lose weight long-term. I think the people who have been successful, and who have checked back in to show us how they are maintaining, are some great role models for the rest of us.
Hmmm what else am I doing... I'm rewarding myself along the way for keeping on track (not for pounds lost, although that was my initial intention). I'm going for DXA scans every 3-4 months so I know how much lean mass and fat I have, which will also provide a checkpoint so if I start gaining I can get back on track. (DXA scans are expensive, fat pinch tests are fine too... I like knowing how much lean mass I have because it gives me better estimates for how many calories to eat and what my goal weight should be)
There are so many people here trying so many things. But really I would look at the people who have been successful for ideas.
