Like other people said, make the big difference between what you eat and what you burn. It's not a real big mystery but it's hard to put to practice. I have been counting calories for years, and it is a pain in the butt. But then I realized, I was cheating alot and miscounting, and I finally said..what the heck, am I going to be counting for the rest of my life?

Don't think that there is just one end all to 'getting in shape'. Souza's "Happiness is a Journey..." quote comes to mind. I started off above 250 lbs (I never got back on the scale after I saw 250) and I'm now at 190. I did get down to 170 last summer courtesy of riding and really minding my portions, but ya know, the New England winter and wanting to eat all the chowdah I could ...well you get the idea...

I think the big thing is what works for others may work or may not work for you. But don't give up. Keep trying things. But above all....GET ON THAT BIKE!!!!! Your best bet is to work it into your day. I did really well last year because I commuted to work ...can you commute to work? Look for opportunities to build it into your day and it's a no brainer. For me in NE, it's hard for me to mtn bike because I have to cart my bike 30 minutes away. SO I got a commuter bike and started riding in the a.m. and off and on to work --16 miles one way!

The only other thing that really was a realization for me, was like the study someone quoted...the Surgeon General recommends 90 minutes of exercise for those that want to maintain weight loss. So you know to lose it you have to be out there doing more. But you don't have to do it all at once. I do notice when I ride in the a.m. I lose faster (before I eat) than if I ride at night. There is a huge debate whether it promotes fat burning, I could care less. For me, it just works.

Good luck and PM me if you get in a rut!!!!