If you have had great success, please share what made the di

Use the food diary on this site, watch your calories, drink plenty of water and get a good amount of exercise. 100% results.

My "plan of action" which made it possible for me to lose 115 lbs in 15 months is just that: "Action!" No "gonna get started tomorrow", no "I don't feel up to it today", no "what's one more (drink, helping, donut, [insert your own vice] today , I'll work it off tomorrow" - You get the picture.

Here's the changes I've made:

Exercise every day for at least 1 hr to get my heart rate up to the target training level for my age - at least 113 bpm. I'm lucky that my employer provides an exercise facility that I can use after work each day. (I'm in law enforcement)

Stopped going out for lunch at work - I have to give my wonderful wife the credit for helping me on that by her agreement to do the shopping for good foods and pack them in a healthy lunch for me to take to work.

Practice portion control and don't eat because I'm bored, tired, depressed, etc. Eat when I'm hungry, take small bites and chew my food slowly. Put the fork down between bites. Don't eat and read, watch TV, or otherwise not pay attention to the food I'm eating and the person(s) I'm eating with.
Generally that is my wife and that means we talk at meals. Not eat and run.

Record everything I eat and all of my exercise on MFP. I didn't hear about MFP until my company had an "Exercise - Minute by Minute" program this past summer and the coordinator publicized it in his monthly newsletter. BTW I won the prize for the most minutes by an individual. It has made me a believer in keeping track of calories in vs. calories out on a daily basis

And finally, because I had so much trouble during my first month (hunger headaches, nausea & dry heaves, and general grouchiness and nasty attitudes) I asked my doctor for help because I knew I wasn't going to make it that way. He told me about Meridia and prescribed it. And it has been wonderful! I now get full fast, don't find myself craving anything between meals - in fact I force myself to have little snacks every couple of hours - and am a much nicer person to be around - ask my wife.
He intends to keep me on it for 6 months after I reach my goal to give my body time to rebuild the proper amount of Leptin (the "fullness" hormone) needed to maintain my goal weight. He says my body is going to try to put the weight back on and this plan should prevent that. He says that's why so many dieters regain the weight - because the body depresses Leptin production during weight loss because it thinks it is being starved and does everything it can to prevent that.

Anyway, that is all I have done. Nothing fancy - except maybe the Meridia.


Good Luck to you in reaching your goal. My suggestion to not try to do it too fast. And see your doctor often and get his/her help when you need it. I'm glad I did.

I started out on alli but I only took one bottle. It did teach me to eat right and to stay away from the fats. I do excerise if for only 30 minutes each day. Do drink plenty of water and most of all you have to want to do it for yourself. Don't do it for anyone but you. I found out that I was trying to please everyone eles and I needed to take care of ME. Good luck on your weight loss journey and you can find all the support you need from here. Even if you have questions about food, excerise, calories, just about anything will be answered. Good Luck.:flowerforyou:

Portion control is a biggie as is posting my food journal so others can see it (not always at MFP). If others can see what I'm eating, I try to eat better.

Here are my other tips...

~96 oz water daily average
~whole wheat/grains (very little refined grains if I can help it)
~lean meats...fish, beef, chicken, pork, etc.
~lowfat/nonfat dairy (2% shredded cheese, nonfat milk, light Smart Balance butter)
~lots of fruits/veggies
~I do splurge sometimes on ice cream or other desserts/fatty foods. It's been maybe 1-2x/month anymore.
~I have also started eating more cleanly...basically trying to eliminate high fructose corn syrup (which is in a lot of stuff) and hydrogenated oils (also in lots of packaged foods). Therefore, I buy organic a lot on packaged foods.

As for exercise, I average 4-6x/week. I aim for 2-3x cardio and 1-2x strength depending on the week. I run, do exercise videos, and sometimes use my exercise bike.

What made the difference for me? First, my attitude. I stopped saying I cant.. it is amazing how much you can make your body do if you just believe it is possible. To do something you have to try, to try something you have to believe. I REFUSE to let ANYTHING be an excuse. Any reason for not taking care of myself, no matter what it is, is just an excuse. No More Excuses, period!

Next, I logged every single bit of food I ate until I could teach myself what to eat, and how much of it. It was a long journey, but very educational, and I still find i am learning things. Now I log a few days a week to stay honest, but I have gotten to the point I can almost just run the numbers in my head when I am doing the cooking.

a good tip about food.. automate what you eat, at least for 2 meals a day. If you eat the same breakfast and same lunch every single day a couple things happen. one, it is less stress worrying about calories, etc, because you know what is in it. Second, you will eat less with time because you wont crave what it is you are eating. when you constantly change up foods you will eat more because it is "something new". If you need change in your meals do it with your dinner.

Exercise... move, and move alot. I have a desk job, so i spend 10+ hours a day sitting. I get up extra early every single morning and go to the gym for spin class. I found that if I exercise first thing I get my body going, and energized. If I wait until the end of the day and something comes up, well, then I dont always get it in. Then, I try to go back a few nights a week to the gym and do resistance training as well.

hope this helps in some small way, and good luck to you