I've worked with hundreds of people who were interested in losing weight. Over
the years I started to notice that the people who were successful at losing
weight and maintaining that loss, had several traits in common. If your goal
is to be successful at losing weight and keeping it off, my suggestion would
be to make these traits your own;

1. They make aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging, or swimming part of
their DAILY life. They realize that DAILY activity is absolutely critical to
their success. They are committed to
exercising just about every day for the rest of their lives. It's not a chore
for them.

2. They either naturally enjoy the exercise they do, or they make it enjoyable.
For example, many of them enjoy walking in the beautiful outdoors, or if they
don't, they make it enjoyable
by listening to music or taped books, exercising with a friend, or perhaps by
varying their route or the type of exercise they do.

3. They don't smoke. I have seen very few smokers who were successful at weight
loss.

4. They are typically early risers and get their exercise done first thing in
the morning.

5. They don't weigh themselves every day.

6. They have an incredible desire to lose weight and be healthy. But, they don't
just talk about it - lots of folks do that. They actually walk the talk. They
are willing to do what it takes to get
where they want to be. This gets them through the tough times when they feel
like giving up.

7. They don't fall for the latest fad diet and they are resolved to the fact
that their weight loss will take time. They're not constantly looking for short
cuts.

8. They realize that their body functions best and is healthiest when it's
getting the naturally healthy stuff - fruits, veggies, and whole grains. They
concentrate on eating these with very limited added fat and sugar.

9. They prepare most of their own meals and usually bring their lunch to work.

10. They weight train two to three days per week to maintain muscle tone and
elevate their basal metabolic rate.

11.(Bonus) They usually have a great big smile on their face! They know that it
may be very
tough at times, but they also know that they are slowly but surely reaching the
goals they've worked for. That feels great!

Go for it - YOU can do it!