I’m posting as encouragement. As someone who has lost 70 lbs (and I intend to keep going), I can speak from experience. Losing weight is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I, like you, tried diet after diet. Motivation is the hardest thing. Somewhere along the line I was blessed with insight, and I realized my problem.

I hate diets. I love food. This may seem obvious, but when you’re on a diet you don’t get to eat the food you enjoy. So what did I do? What’s my secret? I’m not on a diet. I cut my snacking out by removing the temptation. There are no snacks anywhere in my apartment. In addition, most of my meals are simple now. I’ll have a can of soup (the campbells chunky soup kind… that stuff rocks) or a subway sub and a bag of their chips for a meal. I don’t make every meal a big event.

That way, when its time for everyone to go out to eat after work, or for special occasions or holidays, I can eat whatever I want. The important thing is that I go back to my regular foods when its not a “main event” situation. It’s not as fast as a diet would be at losing weight, but I can tolerate the food I eat, and I still enjoy food.

Also, soda is a big one. If you’re hooked on regular soda, give it up cold turkey for 3 days… then when you have soda from that point forward, make it a diet. Most people cringe at the flavor of diet, but having done it that way I didnt even know there was a difference in flavor. Now, I can’t stand the taste of regular.

It has taken me about 2 years to drop down from 298 lbs to 230 even. As mentioned, its the hardest battle I’ve ever fought, but yeah… my secret is to eat the “healthy” food you can tolerate and toss diets, snacking, and regular soda out the window.

Good luck with it all… it takes a LOT of will power.

Jimmy