For me, the hardest part for beginning was, well . . . beginning. I'm a very internal person, so I'll make exercise plans, and eating plans and have everything planned out, but when it's time to start, well, isn't thinking about it enough? Fortunately, when I start, things more or less go smoothly and I can exercise regularly, but man, that hump in the beginning is a tough one to get over. It seems like a small thing, but this issue has come up in areas other than weight loss in my life.

For me, it's breaking the habit of just grabbing for food whenever the urge strikes me (which is when I'm hungry, when I'm bored, when I'm anxious, when I'm depressed, when I'm happy, when I just need something to do with my hands and/or mouth....you get the idea). It's learning to tell myself, "No, you really don't need to stop at Dunkin Donuts just because you're passing one and a boston creme donut sounds good. You just ate!"

It's also learning how to cook and eat nutritiously instead of just eating anything (good or bad) just out of habit.

For me the hardest part, by far, was overcoming the negative voice inside my head... the one that told me, over and over again, that I had started diets with high hopes hundreds of times before and failed every single time...

That voice told me that it was ridiculous to even try because I would end up failing anyway...

The other hard part is the same as the others mentioned-- being patient.

At first it was great because it seemed like I was seeing astonishing differences day after day... but now, I'm starting to realize that this is a long journey not a quick day trip.

My main fear was post-weight loss. I've lost the weight before so I knew I could do it again, but my main problem has always been maintaining. I get too complacent when I lose the weight going "I'm slim now, I can ea whatever and how much ever I want!" and back the lbs come. So, my major fear is getting to my goal and then sticking to maintenance level calories. I have my plan out, but the problem is sticking to it.

I would suggest taking weight loss day by day. In the past, I've tended to look at the big picture and seeing the number (20 lbs) I would always get discouraged after losing 5 and then give up. So you're like me, I'd suggest you stick to a daily plan.

I'm the same way, Nooch! My husband swung in Sonic the other day while we were driving. I'd suffered through a pretty poor rendition of a sandwich already when he made the unplanned stop. I was SO MAD at him, even though the junior burger and small fries he got fit into his daily calorie requirements. I was mad because I couldn't have one...I'd already eaten...

I didn't find the first bit hard at all, the first 30 pounds seemed to melt off, I'd get on the scales everyday and I'd have lost something, even if it was only a tenth of a pound; that gave me a real buzz. The next bit was pretty good too, I got to buy smaller clothes again that was fantastic and my cardiovascular health has improved massively; being able to run again is a wonderful boost.

I'm finding the middle bit very difficult indeed, firstly I didn't drop any weight for over two weeks, despite, exercising and counting calories like a woman possessed but the worse bit is that I've gone from being a big but well proportioned hourglass shape to a very disproportionate pear and it seems that I'm still only getting smaller on my upper body.

Having dropped over 100 pounds and 80 pounds on two separate occasions in the past I can't remember this happening before but it is giving me enough of a kick in the butt to keep going, I can't have a body that's made up almost exclusivity of hips and thighs.

Maybe all of the bits are hard but all of us are only focused on the current hard?

I had two false starts to my exercise program and the thing that made them stick was an exercise buddy. Having someone to go with makes things a lot smoother.

The hardest part of getting started was to stop the thinking, and take the first actions. "Nothing happens until something moves." The snowball of getting smaller, feeling better, getting stronger doesn't happen until you kick it off the edge of the cliff. Sadly, you can't think the fat off - if it were possible, none of us would be here!

Without a doubt the hardest part for me resisting the foods I used to eat, especially when my friends we literally telling me I was any fun anymore because I didn't want to sit/go out and binge with them. Hanging out with friends and food was my pastime.

I used to have near anxiety attacks over not being able to eat junk with my friends and in the beginning I really did feel like I was never going to have fun ever again(dramatic, I know) It got better, thank god.

The hardest part for me was realizing I had SO much weight to lose and it just felt impossible, and not seeing "instant" progress really bummed me out.

LOL, that is exactly what I'm prone to do, act like I can "think" the fat off, or anything else that needs to change, for that matter.

Your post just pointed out to me that I've been looking at my weightloss from a defeatist point of view! I've felt like a failure because I've re-gained some of my weight. I haven't looked at my weightloss from the perspective of "this is something I can do BECAUSE I've done it before" KUDOs to you!

Your post got me thinking about WHY' I want to lose weight. Obviouslly, to be thinnner, but that isn't enough to get me off the couch to exercise, or to not eat another choc cookie. I don't have your specific motivations, then realized that, OF COURSE, if I don't have motivation or a specific goal, I'm not going to lose weight.

LOL, Picture a lightbulb turning on above my head. {or me banging my head against the screen}

I felt like I could relate to many posts here.

wow, if I could think the weight off, I'd probably be a size 2(!!!); I had and have so much weight to lose, it was/is hard to imagine reaching my end goal; I get a lot of pleasure out of eating, and it's my friend, I use it to reward myself and relieve stress.

being consistent has always been my biggest problem. so starting wasn't so much the hardest part, but the daily, then weekly, then monthly sticking to the plan. I go a certain distance, then want to treat myself and relax. It's not easy. I enjoy the exercise and don't feel tremendously deprived with the eating, but sticking to the calories and exercise level where I lose weight, and not slacking off after several weeks, that I have trouble with.

even after as much weight as I've lost, I don't feel like I can always SEE the difference, I FEEL a big difference, bec I can remember how much tougher it was physically when I was that much heavier and so out of shape. I'm much happier having that weight off. I do still tend to be hard on myself and how my body looks at this weight (and I let myself forget and don't give myself credit for how far I've come).