Hi Abigail! You have done a FANTASTIC job with your exercise! I lost about a pound a week, consistently. One pound is great!! I know it’s slow going, but that’s how you lose weight that will stay off.

Here’s a copy of an email I sent a friend. I hope it helps.

was successful in losing 35 or so pounds, but I still have 9 more to go that I'm having a heckuva time with, so take this for what it's worth. (But I have maintained the loss for 3 or 4 months, and that's a good sign, right?)

Make yourself accountable. Tell someone you are going to lose weight, and report to them weekly. If you can afford it, get a dietitian (that’s what I did), and meet with her regularly to weigh in and get tips.

Move your body. Go outside and walk. Join a gym and hit the treadmill. I would have lost weight quicker if I had done this from the beginning.

Limit your carbs (I know, I know, but it’s necessary). Have 2 carbs per day – preferably one at breakfast and one at lunch. Make them whole grain – oatmeal, Triscuits, whole wheat toast, etc.

Have protein at every meal and snack, whether it’s a little meat, or nuts, seeds, egg, cheese, or yogurt.

Make subsitutions that make sense. My big thing is coffee – I’ve replaced my cream with fat-free half & half (I can’t tell the difference), and one of my 2 spoonfuls of sugar I replace with Splenda. Buy Smart Balance spread instead of regular margarine. Drink skim milk, or better yet, drink nothing but water with your meals. No soda. Ever. Not even diet soda, because it tricks your body into continuing to crave sugar.

Make exceptions every once in a while so you don’t feel like food is “bad.” You can eat anything, it’s about WHEN and HOW MUCH and HOW FREQUENTLY you eat it. Food is not bad. You are not bad for eating it. Examine and challenge the language you use around eating and self-worth.

Have basically the same thing for breakfast and lunch. You won’t have to think as much and you’ll have 2 major meals out of your day be healthy for sure. My favorite breakfast is Kashi Go Lean Crunch, milk and chopped dates. My favorite lunch or snack is Triscuits, lowfat cheddar, carrot sticks and V-8.

Experience the grocery store in a whole new way. Be on the lookout for fantastic things like seasonal or rare fruits and veggies. Buy the most expensive deli meats you can afford – there is a difference. Try not to eat much that comes out of a box or a bag.

If you’re going to splurge, make it something absolutely decadent and fantabulous and make sure you only have one serving of it. Example – instead of Hershey’s, I’d go to the health food store and buy the most luscious organic chocolate I could find – one serving of it. And sometimes I’d give half of that to whoever was lucky enough to be with me.

Eat every 3-4 hours. Don’t eat after 7. Drink lots of water.

Fix a bedtime and adhere to it.

Develop the other parts of your life – develop active interests, hobbies, etc like skiing! Get into the habit of never saying no to any physical activity. This has been incredibly helpful to me. I’ve played laser tag, gone skiing, went sledding, played DDR, etc., all because of this principle. Get out of the habit of thinking of exercise as work. Work on your friendships, your relationships, etc. Have lots of sex.

Sign up on www.43things.com and regularly post your progress for the world to see. Post your progress and your goals here. Get a ticker at www.tickerfactory.com Think of rewards for yourself like new clothes. When you would normally buy yourself an edible treat, go to CVS and get some rich lotion or some new makeup.

I didn’t count calories or points. I knew how many serving of everything I was supposed to be eating and I just ate them (Daily: 2 carbs, 4 proteins, 2 milks, 2-3 fruits and 5 veggies).

Figure out what your emotional deal is and take care of it. I eat emotionally and I’ve had to really examine that aspect.

Food journal!! During the weight loss phase, write down everything you eat. Have a check-off list and as you eat your servings, note how many servings you have left for the day. Keep your journal in your purse.

That’s all I can think of for now! If anyone else has anything to add, feel free.

I didn’t do all these things all the time of course, but I did them consistently enough for it to work. And, can I just say, I feel so much lighter physically and emotionally without that extra 35 pounds! It’s so completely, totally, utterly worth it.