At 250 lbs I was told I have diabetes. The word diet and I don't get along. I've lost weight three times in my life and I never called it a diet, it was and is, a way of life. I don't think of it as eliminating foods, I think of it as reducing the foods that pack weight on. I replaced the beef fat with enjoying margarine on English muffins instead. I think walnuts and crackers for snacks. When I do indulge in something I shouldn't, I make sure to make it the best taste experience I can enjoy while eating it.
Back in the day my measurements were 36, 26, 36. That was after losing 58 lbs. It took me 2 years to do that. I went on a crusade of sorts in 9th grade. By spring of that year I found that I had lost 10 lbs. That was enough motivation to continue on. I'd pack a lunch that was also snacks. I'd pack a bunch of cereal and a couple of tangerines. My mom wasn't that great of a cook so I didn't eat that much at supper either. So here I am again.
Because I've lost weight three times I know the pitfalls of doing it. After losing a bunch of weight I typically hit a plateau. It will last 3 months. Rather than becoming disheartened by it I focus on staying with the same food consumption I was on before I hit it. It always takes me two years to lose a hundred pounds. I didn't hit the bottom (no fat left) until the beginning of 11th grade. By just being patient I achieved my goals. Ignoring those nasty plateaus and how long it takes to lose it all are my first two rules of weight loss.
The saddest situations I've noticed so far are people who forlornly say (I wish I could lose weight) and those who complain their "diet" isn't working only to see them constantly eating. Constantly eating is fine as long as it isn't between full blown meals. You figure with a 1300 calorie diet you will eat 433 calories for three meals. Eating small amounts for each meal throughout the day is the secret. By 11am you are still eating breakfast, by 4pm you are still eating lunch, by 9pm you are still eating dinner. You are never hungry and eating throughout the day.