80 lbs. lost...mission accomplished! (pics included)

awesome!!! you look great! What is your secret? please say simply it was diet and exercise and a fierce determination! Inspirational!

Thanks! Actually, it was simply that. It's a whole lifestyle change...developing new healthy habits and sticking with them. I exercise 3-5 times a week and usually for only around 40 minutes (though sometimes it is as little as 30, sometimes it is an hour). My exercise consists primarily of circuit training DVDs (Jillian Michaels and Jackie Warner) and power yoga (Brian Kest and Bob Harper). I count calories, making sure I keep a healthy calorie deficit, but more than that I make sure the calories are good ones. I try and keep simple carbs to a minimum (I've never really liked bread that much but keeping away from pasta and potatoes is a little trickier!) but the key is minimum. I don't deprive myself of the things I love, I just have them more infrequently and in smaller portions than I used to, and I always work them into my calorie count. So if I want to have some dark chocolate or butter-and-salt-laden popcorn (two of my favorite treats!), I just make sure I keep my meal calories a little lighter on those days.

This whole process has been incredible. I've had my down days for sure but fortunately my husband is always there to remind me where I came from and what I had done so far. He also has helped make sure that we are eating the right kinds of foods so we try and make everything from scratch and as much as possible stay away from processed foods. But even then, if I'm craving something, I just work it into the calorie count so I don't go around trying to fight cravings all the time. I hope that helps!