What has made you successful so far?

Eating better is cheaper than eating badly. Besides, the thought of looking good in a bikini kinda helps too, lol

Logging everything! It has worked wonders for me. Even if I have a day where I go over my calories, I will log honestly. Also, I have taken the words "good" and "bad" out of my vocabulary when it comes to the choices I make. I make choices, some are better than others, and faithfully logging everything puts it in perspective. I have also learned that everyone has advice and opinions on how to lose weight. I nod and smile and thank them for sharing, then I go back to doing what I do, which is definitely working for me :-)

The tracking of my food intake and exercising keeps me on point. I am also lucky to have friends who log in consistently so there's accountability which helps a lot.

Prior to this weight loss attempt, I had previously lost and regained more than 250 pounds in 10 to 65 pound chunks. These are the things that make me confident that I've finally figured it out and will break that cycle:

1. Finally realizing that it's never over and I'll never be "DONE." There is no done. I will have to do everything that I did to lose for the rest of my life -- logging, counting calories, eating high protein healthy food, working out with weights and HIIT on a consistent basis. The only difference between maintenance and losing is a few hundred more calories.

2. Knowing and accepting that I will make deliberate choices to eat beyond my calorie limits on some days. I don't consider this a "cheat," a "slip," or a catastrophe. I consider it a deliberate choice based on my circumstances. The key to my consistent loss and maintenance is that if I choose to eat high calorie unhealthy stuff, whether for one meal, one day or during a vacation, I get right back to my plan as soon as possible. There's no "next week," or "screw it, I might as well eat a bunch more because I already messed up." I get back to it as soon as possible.

3. Making logging and working out mandatory and giving them a high priority in my life. Just as I can't choose to not work or not parent my child on a daily basis, I also don't allow myself to opt out of taking care of my body. "I don't feel like it today," is not a valid excuse for skipping the gym or not making good food choices.

4. Strength training. I'm a 44-year-old woman who weighed 282 pounds two years ago and I squat and deadlift my body weight now. There is an abundance of pride, power, inner strength and self-love that accompany that statement. You need to find your mojo that will change your life. Whether running a marathon, entering a fitness model competition, or becoming a world Zumba champion, you have to find your "thing" that motivates you to keep striving and moving forward.

1.) Making it easy! I always thought weight loss had to be strict and you had to give up all good things and exercise 1000 hours a day. When I tried something like that in the past, I always failed quickly.

This time around, I've been making it as easy as possible. Set my goals to lose .5 lb a week, try to move around more without a specific exercise goal (that I can easily miss and then feel like a failure). Not deny myself the things I want, just find ways to integrate them into my daily goals. It's been great.

2.) Cooking at home most of the time. Both my husband and I work long hours, and we've never managed to get dinner on the table most nights out of the week without resorting to take-out. So I started meal planning, finding quick, healthy, whole food recipes I liked, shopping once a week and having a plan for cooking. I usually plan meals for every night, but understand that sometimes I won't feel up to it. I don't worry or feel bad when I get take-out occasionally, but between my husband and I we're now cooking at home at least 4-5 nights a week, sometimes more. I feel like a real adult.

Some may not agree but that's why you asked for multiple opinions, right?

1. Accepting that I'm going to have hungry days. Some worse than others and that the answer for me wasn't "have a snack" it was to power through it. I got overweight by eating 3,000 calories a day so dropping down to 1700 WILL cause hunger but it also has resulted in 1.5-2lbs/loss a week.

2. Getting over the thinking that if I don't eat something, I'll be missing out. I have said no to a LOT of pizza, brownies, fried cheese and other deliciousness over the last few months but all I remember is feeling good and slender at those same events. Feeling great is so much more rewarding than eating a piece of cake that I've had a million times in my life and will forget about by the next day.

3. Knowing that it's not easy, it's not going to be easy, and I shouldn't expect it to be. I spend a few hours every Sunday prepping veggies and meals for work. I spend time pouring over my calendar figuring out how I'll get through every social obligation. It's annoying and takes time but it's worth it.

4. This one is specific to me but I eat 100% to plan (fruits, veggies, whole grains, good fats, lean proteins, no sugar, no alcohol) MOnday through Friday with no wiggle room. On the weekends I'll wiggle with brunch, treats, etc., as long as they fit into my calories. I eat 3-400 extra on Saturdays and Sundays.

Tracking what goes in has been a great motivator to eat better and limit intake. In addition, tracking workouts keeps you accountable to exercising daily regardless of it is hitting the gym or walking the dog.