I am in Northern CA, so we have lots of great weather here as well....though nothing tops San Diego!. Last weekend was particularly perfect for biking- cool for summer, light breeze :-).

Very interesting on that twin comparison. When I lost 40 pounds, I was following WW, so a balanced diet that encouraged more fiber and less fat. I have lost that last 5 pounds and another 5 over and over again. Watching calorie intake is key, though I do tend to see faster weight loss with high protein low carb- not extreme as it is hard enough to get in protein cals on a vegetarian diet. So, about 100g protein (70-120) and 50 g carbs (some days more).

I really think that exercise is key to weight loss as well. I have been really active for most of my life. I love to run and when I had to stop running last Fall after surgery on my leg, I about lost my mind. For one, because I love to run (the relaxation and meditation part of it is amazing). But the second reason was that I freaked that I was gonna gain a ton of weight back. I was seriously terrified. You don't go from running 5-10 miles multiple days a week to nothing and not have weight problems, right? Well, I had to do no cardio at all for 3 months, and then slowly added in bike. Still pretty limited. Did I gain a ton? No. I learned that I have to be even more careful with my eating though........ and that is where I am. I do get in some sort of exercise every day. One day a week can be pretty light, but gotta do something.