Shillelagh wrote:

Talk to me in two years or more, when you have kept it all off, and
not
gained a pound back. I've been there, done the whole routine.
Keeping the
weight off is the hardest part, and if you can do it, good for you.
Not
many people can get it off and keep it off. And, the newly converted
are
the ones with the shiniest halos.

I've only managed this for about a year and a half, but my key was
getting a job that made me stay active. When I had an office job I was
nearly 160 lbs, but after I started working in the outdoors (first in
Fish & Wildlife, now in State Parks), I'm down to 130#. I'm 20-22%
body fat, but would like to hit 18%. Admittedly, the cold weather has
kept me indoors more than I would like the past few months. On a
typical day I walk 4-5 miles while working. During summer, when I'm
running the push mow crew, it can be nearly 10 miles.

I'm going to start training in earnest for my Forest Service Red Card
Pack Test once the snow goes away (3 miles, with 45 lbs, in 45 minutes
or less). Hopefully that'll do the trick for those last few pesky
percents. Another big help was giving up pop (soda, coke, whatever you
call it). Also, Dad's pre-diabetic with high cholesterol, so that was
a wake-up call that I need to make small lifestyle changes now (I'm 23)
so I don't have to take drugs and completely change how I eat and
exercise in 30 years.

-Amanda
http://www.uberpest.com