I have never been thin.

I am 20 years old. I have never been thin. As long as I can remember, I have been overweight. I was the fat kid. I remember buying XXL shirts and 34" waist pants in junior high. At the end of my first year of college, I weighed 275 lbs, wore a 38/40 in pants, and typically an XXL in shirts.

That summer, I decided to try and exercise more and eat less. By the end of the summer, I had lost weight - weighing in at around 240lbs.

Through the school year, I continued until winter hit. That meant no more walking the couple miles a day I had grown accustomed to... took the bus more, ate fast food more, and ended up gaining a few of those pounds back. Still, I was better off than I was in June of '06.

This spring, with the thaw over, I returned to the walking and trying to eat less. At the end of the spring, I was wearing size L shirts, and 33s and 34s in jeans. I realize that to many of you, an "L" is gigantic, especially in American sizing - but it's the smallest I've ever been.

Yesterday, I ate almost nothing, mainly out of necessity - I moved to a new apartment, didn't really have food, too late for delivery, etc.

This morning, before eating, I weighed myself at 222.5 pounds. I've lost around 50 pounds, and still have another 50 or so I'd like to lose.

I have a gym in my new apartment building that's open 24 hours - I'm signing up. No more excuses for not going to the gym. I'm going to (try and) start running.

Anyone who's lost a significant amount of weight or knows good ways to keep the willpower up, please advise. I know the basics - resist the temptation when my roommate goes on his inevitable 3AM McDonald's run, don't gorge on deep dish pizza, don't drink a lot of alcohol (this was a big one for me), don't drink regular pop/stuff with calories at all, etc. But this time I'm serious. Whether you have advice for me about diet, about exercise, or anything else - chime in. I'd love to repeat last summer's 40lb loss.

my brother had great results (going from ~250 lbs to 160) with atkins / low-carbohydrate diet. it's still filling, but uses your body's natural fat-burning tendencies to your benefit. the paleo diet stuff is also logical and very effective. it's a little bit extreme, but again, it does work, and it's based in natural evolutionary principles. your mileage may vary, of course. good luck man. it sounds like you already have a lot of willpower and determination, which is the most important thing -- how bad do you want it.

Weight training 4 days a week + 45 minutes of cardio + dieting is what I recommend. With the will power, what I recommend is to find a weekly "life" routine and stick with it. Instead of thinking about exercising, you have you ingrain it into your routine deep enough that it becomes just something you do, like shaving. For food wise, I would learn to stop enjoying food, and just look at food as a means to an end, which is to lose weight and maintain muscle. You can go back to enjoying food once you reach your goals.

I'd agree with the comments that weights + cardio is the way to go. There are many workouts posted on here by myself and others that should be quite effective.

I never had a weight problem but I do have to watch what I eat these days. I can't always eat healthy so when I do go to say, McDonalds, I will get something like a Happy Meal or grilled chicken sandwich,or 2 plain hamburgers. This way you are getting way fewer calories and fat but you don't feel deprived.

you're doing great, you will be thin in no time at all. just becareful to keep the wieght off, hitting a number does not mean crossing the finish line. its going to be a never ending battle, yet when you see how much more defined you are, im sure you will be disgusted by what people put into their bodies.

The key to willpower is not to rely on willpower. Control your behavior by controlling your environment: if you want to lose weight, be sure to keep only healthy, low-caloric density foods in your kitchen (don't count on "willpower" to keep you from gorging on Doritos you have stored in a cabinet!). And make it a habit to eat almost all your meals at home; when you must dine out, eat something filling but relatively low-calorie beforehand so that you don't order a 2000-calorie entree at the restaurant. Of course, this is coming from a skinny guy who has never had a weight problem, but like all people I've experienced other various self-regulation problems. Oh, and the exercise suggestions above are good!

To echo some of the above posts, don't keep unhealthy food in your home. Also, never go to the grocery store hungry, or you'll find yourself buying all sorts of unhealthy crap. When going out to eat, I've found I can avoid dessert by ordering coffee while others eat. I find that as long as I have something in my hands, I'm not as tempted by the desserts. Also, don't be afraid not to clean your plate when you're out to eat. As has been discussed ad nauseum, portion size at American restaurants is huge.

A good exercise program combining resistance training and cardio is a good idea, but it's mostly a good idea to do some sort of exercise, be it walking, running, lifting, or other activity. The key is to keep exercising on a regular basis. When it's too cold to go outside, have an alternative indoor exercise (join a gym or buy an exercise bike or treadmill).

I went from about 260 to 185, and have been at 185 for about 10 years now (I'm 6'2"). It's a lifelong struggle to keep the weight off. You really need to change your lifestyle for the long haul if you want to not only take the weight off, but keep it off. Now that I've lost the weight, I'm not as regimented as I used to be (I went through a period of time where I completely gave up desserts), but I still need to watch what I eat every day.

I've never been heavy, but I must watch and exercise with diligence, in order to stay fit and trim. More than anything, it's my opinion that you must want, to keep your weight under control. You must cherish a healthier body, and be willing to sacrifice for it. The rewards of keeping your weight at bay, are tremendous. I have one wardrobe. I can wear clothes that are twenty years old, if I so choose. I don't have to 'starve' for special events. For my age, I move quickly, and can run if I have to. Focus on all the positives that a healthy weight, will deliver. Make it a tradition in your life.

Congratulations, sounds like you're off to a great start.

I'm 6 feet tall. On this day one year ago, I weighed 270 lbs. Today I'm holding steady at 205. I'm still 20-30 lbs away from my ideal, but I'm pleased with my appearance and feel much better.

My advice:

Eliminate sugared beverages. They are just empty calories, and add up quick. I drink water and unsweetened tea now pretty much exclusively.

Get some kind of cardio workout machine in your home. With my schedule and feelings of embarrassment, I knew that I would never darken the door of a gym. Make exercising as convenient as possible. I bought an exercise bike and park it in front of a little TV in the back room. 30 minutes every other day seems to work for me.

Walk whenever feasible. Take the stairs. Get you body used to activity. Even shooting baskets in the driveway or throwing a Frisbee around in the park is good--you'll start to crave physical exertion.

The advice of keeping crap out of your house is essential. It also gives you significant psychological relief--I don't think, "I can never have cake again!" If I'm at a birthday party or wedding, I'll have a slice of cake. I will not eat three slices on the couch watching the Daily Show in my underwear. Return treats to true "treat" status--every once in a while, special occasion rewards. Telling yourself "I'm off sugar, and that's it" is really tough, and you'll be demoralized if you slip (which you will).

Eat lots of lean meat, fruits, and vegetables. Limit bread to one serving a day, and make it whole grain. Pasta and pizza are your enemies. Again, if you're at a Super Bowl party and want a slice of pizza, have one. Don't order them to your home, though, or make a habit of getting a slice or two for lunch.

The best advice I can give is that old AA nugget: one day at a time. Don't think about the magnitude of the task, or dwell on all of the good things you're missing out on or the drudgery of the exercise. Just keep thinking: what do I need to do today to keep on track? Worry about tomorrow tomorrow.

It really requires a fundamental change in the way you live, but it's absolutely doable, and absolutely worth it.

Yeah, I've definitely implemented some of the stuff you guys have said. If I find myself at McDonald's or something, I'll get chicken or something not as terrible, and no fries. When I go out to eat w/ my girlfriend to a place like Cheesecake Factory, known for its epic portion size, I'll eat there and take home enough for 2 more meals.

True desserts like a piece of cake or a milkshake or something like that I've limited to once a week.

I know that this weekend, I'm going to an authentic Pakistani place that is done 'family style' where I typically eat a lot. As such, I've made sure not to eat anything that's high in calories that's unnecessary (cake, Starbucks frappuccino, etc.)

Day by day, I guess.

This is what has worked for me. YMMV.

1. Learning to eat sensibly while not denying myself anything.

I think if you deny yourself and/or starve yourself, you just can't keep it up. I eat french fries, dessert, delicious cheeses, etc. I just don't eat them at every meal anymore. When I'm going to have something "bad" I try to make sure it's really good. Thus, I'll eat a fat-ladened burger, but it will be a damn good burger rather than a microwaved pedestrian gobbet from McDonalds.

You also have to learn to steer yourself to healthier items and portions. Don't eat chicken breasts because you have, eat them because you like chicken. If you don't like chicken, find healthy foods that you do like. Also, if you eat in restaurants a lot, like I do, understand that the portions served usually will feed two or three people. However, there is a tendency to chow down everything that is put in front of you. I'll sometimes have a restaurant bring me only a portion of my food - if dessert consists of 2 cannoli, I'll ask that they just bring me one.

Be aware of calories. We grossly underestimate the calories contained in our food and do an even worse job of knowing how much exercise it takes to burn them. It's a whole lot easier to order a salad without the croutons when you weigh that against running an extra mile to burn them off. You'll be amazed at the amount of exercise you won't have to do if you simply skip the bread and butter brought to you before a meal.

Make things easier on yourself. I just don't keep that much food in my house anymore. There's no junk to snack on so I don't do it. I tended to eat because it was something to do rather than because I was hungry. Now all I really keep around the house is fruit. It's amazing how fast I feel full after eating an apple, whereas I could down a whole bag of chips and still want more.

Because I'm eating so much better most of the time, there is no reason why I can't splurge when the opportunity for something special arises. I don't feel deprived. I don't feel like I'm dieting. I'm able to keep this up.

2. Activity, any activity, is good.

Walk, run, play basketball, whatever. Activity burns calories and your body doesn't really care what it is your doing. The key is to find something that you like to do that you'll keep doing and there is no reason not to do a variety of different things.

Combining activities can be very useful. I like to listen to books on tape when on the rowing machine. I don't love rowing and I don't hate it, but I do like listening to the stories. By sitting on the rowing machine while listening to to the books, I've turned a passive activity (listening to tapes) to something that burns significant calories. Importantly, I've turned this exercise into something I like to do. As a result, I'm far more likely to actually get off my butt and do it.

In short, make realistic, but real changes to your lifestyle. You won't see instant results, but you will see lasting ones.

One other motivational item: Track your progress. Chart your weight and measurements (take pictures too, if you can). You quickly get used to the changes in your body and you may not notice the significant improvements you made. Going back to your charts and seeing you knocked 8" off your waist (or better yet look at old pictures and realize how much better you currently look) can really help keep you on track.

One last point: Get rid of or alter you fat clothes. Don't give yourself the option of backsliding. I, literally, have nothing to wear if I put my weight back on.

I've lost 20 Kg ( 40 pounds ) doing a simple thing

1. Eating right.... that means eating a lot of vegetables and fruits, very little carbs, so avoid sugar, bread, pasta, rice, almost nothing of fat, so no oil, butter, milk porc etc, eat salads with meat or chicken cooked without oil. plenty of tomatos, peperonis, carrots, zuchettinnit etc etc Eat a lot of apples, the apple vinegar contributes to dissolve your fat.

2. do an sport that burns fat. this is the secret... your body uses first the sugar to convert it to energy, when the sugar is consumed, it will burn your fat and transform it in sugar and then burn it again....

The thing is, and this is very important. when your body burned all the suga, you feel exhausted. It normally takes around 30 minutes to reach this point in which your body burned the sugar ( less if you eat less sugar, and with sugar I mean, fast sugars as sweet things and long sugars as rice, bread and pasta ).

So the problem is that most people start doing an aerobic sport and 20 or 30 minutes later they feel tired so they stop to rest or get their breath back... then you ruined the fat burning... your body stops the process and the fat never gets burnt.

The secret is just that, when you are exhausted you must continue your excersise without stopping... you'll have to fight with the fatigue for some 3 or 4 minutes and then you'll feel like and energy refill, you'll feel strong again and you are up for 30 minutes more ... THIS IS WHEN YOUR BODY BURNED THE FAT TO MAKE IT INTO SUGAR AGAIN.... if you don't feel this you are not burning the fat. you are only burning the sugar.

So chose an sport that you can do for a long period of time non stop.

That is, running, ciclyng, skating....

Remember then.

1. No Sugars, fast or slow ( slow sugars convert into sugar the next 1 or 2 days after eaten, fast sugars are readily available for the body. ), the fruits have enough sugar for your needs.
2. No fat or the minimum you can
3. No salt ! the salt retain the liquids and make the fat burning process longer
4. plenty of vegetables and fruits, specially apples
5. Clean up your life, no smoking, no drugs, no alcohol
6. an aerobic sport, preferably outdoors so you can breathe and burn better the sugar AND fat that lasts for more than 30 minutes non-stop, remember, the first 30 minutes your body will use the sugar, then after that you must force you to continue beyond exhaustion, you'll feel the energy "refill" when your body burned the fat , and the longer you exercise beyond this point ( or better if you have several "refills" ) the faster you'll burn fat.

Also remember, this is a lifestyle change, and not something you do for awhile and then stop and continue as normal. Once you lose the weight, work on building muscle, which will allow you to enjoy more food without the need to diet, not to mention look better.

Adding to the barrage of good tips...

Get regular, adequate sleep. (The lifestyle described suggests sleep hygiene is a problem.)

Instead of big meals, throughout the day have several small meals featuring good-quality protein. (For the lifestyle described, some protein shakes and protein bars probably would fit well.)

Drink green tea.

Do food shopping at a health food store instead of the supermarket (except for specific healthy items that can be bought for less at the latter). It's a bonus if you cook for yourself with items bought there.

Keep up the good work