If you had only one piece of advice...

Lift heavy. The one thing that has given me the greatest benefit aesthetically, emotionally, and health wise, more then losing weight, cardio, or eating healthy, is lifting heavy. Even though it wasn't my thing at first and I was the dancer girl who wanted nothing to do with lifting because I didn't have a clue how and because of so many stigmas and misconceptions about lifting that the majority of people seem to have. I tried the rest first and it never helped me accomplish the flat tummy I have now I really wish I could get through to the people who think they'll end up looking manly. I hardly think I did.

Simple answer for me, realizing that i could make myself into any shape i wanted to. People don't understand that they control how they are going to look. Thats only half of it. Problem is you can't tell someone how good it feels to be in shape, they have to experience it themselves. If it was easy it would mean so much.

Take responsibility for your health & fitness, so you do not become a burden to yourself, family , friends or the health care industry.

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

It's a mind thing as much as it's about diet and exercise.

Remember this is chaning your life forever, not just for right now.

No matter how out of shape/overweight you are, or no matter how fit you think you are, you can ALWAYS be better.

focused perseverance with nutrition & exercise..bottom line...:flowerforyou:

Motivation comes and goes, it takes dedication to make lasting changes. There are so many days that I don't want to go to the gym or eat healthy, but I do it because I've made a commitment to myself.

Slow & Steady
Don't fall for the fads
Plan for the long term
and most important Learn portion sizes

Building long-term habits by making one small change at a time.

think they are probably all personal to the loser!

mine is "my knees don't get days off" which means that losing weight helps them to function better, a LOT better - willpower is still hard (and in very short supply right now too!) but just knowing that being lighter makes a BIG difference and I have proved it keeps me at it

Be honest with yourself. You can tell yourself and others whatever you want to tell them, and log whatever you do or do not want to log here, but no matter what, your body is keeping track.

That, and make sure you've seen a doctor to make sure everything is in order to give you the best chance, if you're doing what you need to do. Some things can make it harder than just #'s in vs #'s out, but if there is something off you can adjust your approach and/or perhaps medications. In my specific case, I'm thinking insulin resistance (which admittedly WAS probably kicked off bc I got too fat for my body to be able to handle insulin properly).....increasing my protein and (TRYING) to limit carbs to more natural carbs, along with medication to help my body properly use the fuel has helped me to be more consistent, physically.

Drink more water!

For me, I'd say, Take one day at a time working towards your goal. Everyone is different bodies work in different speeds, and burns differently. Don't compare what your neighbor, friend or spouse has done to what you will be able to do. Just do it.