One Piece of Advice

Keep on trying. If you make a mistake or back slide, just get back at it the first chance you get. That's what it takes to succeed- persevering and trying your best to stick to things.

Set small achievable goals, and I do mean small, itty bitty. Then build on your success, add another achievable goal. Success breeds, more success. That is how I've lost 45 pounds, in six months.

Naturally your weight will fluctuate... nothing happens overnight, give it time and never give up!

Find an event that is six months or a year away that you can't do now; sign up and put together the plan to get ready.

That's how I got started and how I keep myself motivated.

Mine was a Sprint Triathlon about 4 years ago.

Then it was an Olympic distance Tri.

Then it was a 1/2 Marathon.

Then it was a 1/2 Ironman.

This year it's a 10k w Open Water Swim.

Next year? Maybe a full marathon.

My advise would be to give it time. A lot of people that are not satisfied with their weight loss do admit that thier clothes fit better, which is an improvement. i would also if it fits to advise them not to cut out everything they like to go on a "DIET". I would tell them to ease into your diet. Adapt the idea that you are trying to make a life style change. Not a short time thing. You are trying to arrive at an eating style that allows you to lose or maintain and you still enjoy what you eat and are satisfied.

Basil

Small goals, definitely. If you're only looking at large loss long-term goal, it looks HUGE and every small slip looks like proof you can't make it. If you are telling yourself that in this month you will lose three pounds and log what you actually eat (no lying to yourself) daily, that is doable. The urge is to fix it faster or deny progress if it's not big, obvious, everybody notices change. If you make one small goal, then another and another, you feel successful, you make positive progress, and eventually you get where you need to be.

You must make food choices that are healthier and sustainable, and that takes planning to be successful. If you completely deny yourself all of the foods you love, you will likely fail because turning bad habits, particularly a whole collection of them, off overnight is HARD. Plan how you will improve, plan in some allowed "treats" (and by planning them you can offset them by making excellent choices for the rest of the day), measure your foods, and be as sure as you can of the quality of the calorie and macro data you use to track them... the MFP database has some foods that are WILDLY off base. We try to plan our dinners, and knowing what I'll be eating at dinner helps me choose my breakfast and lunch. Lots of starchy carbs at dinner? Pick breakfast and lunch filled with proteins and complex carbs like vegetables to balance it out. Mostly it seems that if macros are reasonably set and followed that the calories will fall into place too.

Good luck!