It seems cliche
 

I've attempted to lose weight before. Very quickly though, I run out of steam because I'm not seeing the results that I want despite working very hard by trimming my diet and increasing my amount of physical activity. My approach this time has been much different than times past and it's made sticking to my diet much easier, because I no longer consider it a diet.

I eat the same things I'd normally eat (including straight up chocolate bars) but I cut the amount of everything in half. I added a run to every morning of the week except for one, and getting up early to jog through the forest has been tremendous for my mood. (Trail running--try it!) But the biggest thing I've done differently this time around is finally

accepted that weight loss does not and should not happen quickly.

It finally hit me that this is a long term commitment. I believe that a roller coaster dieter will always be up and down (and unsuccessful) until they come to the conclusion that it will not happen overnight.

Make small goals of 1-2 pounds a week--it really doesn't sound like much, but a pound a week is a TREMENDOUS ACCOMPLISHMENT! Don't knock it when it happens. It means you're doing very well.

Stay positive, and love your body!

Absolutely! Every pound lost means that you have consistently pushed yourself. And your approach to diet is a good one in many ways because you're not depriving yourself of foods you love. And over time, you may even find yourself subbing more fruits and veggies and lean meats instead of higher calorie foods just because you notice how much more food you get for the calories that way. I know that ever since I started serving more of my main dish type foods as toppers for salad, I fill up a lot more quickly on fewer calories.

I agree--slow and steady wins this "race". Having lost fast in the past and gained it all back plus some I think the pound or two a week is the answer. Of course, if you're really big like I was I don't think it hurts to go a bit faster at first.

And, I think to paraphrase Bruce Lee, "the art of dieting without dieting" is, for many (myself included) the way to go. Eat what you want, but eat less. Do some sort of moderate exercise every day and keep well hydrated. That's all there is to it, really. Oh, and of course, use FitDay religiously to track everything!

Regards,
Michael

I know for me it was finally realizing that losing the weight was not going to happen in 3 or 4 days that got me started in the right direction. I gave myself a goal of a year to lose 100 pounds and then I started thinking of it as 25 to lose each quarter of the year. I am not nearly as frustrated as I have been in the past when I attempted this. I still have my moments, but not as bad. In 17 weeks I have lost 28 pounds, but at least I am finally doing it!

I completely agree. I also had to come to the realization that I did not get to my previous weight in a month and wasn't going to lose it all in a month either. Slow and steady is definitely my method for trying to win this battle.

I agree with all of this! My challenge is to lose a pound a keep it off. If that takes two weeks, and yet, I DO keep that pound off, then I'm golden.

Without demanding that my diet conform to a certain time schedule, there's also room for some surprises: the week that two pounds come off instead of one. Still, the goal is to keep THOSE two pounds off.

It takes a while, sure. It's the body you're going to have to live with. Worth the patience.