I lost 30 pounds several years ago just by watching my portions and not eating a lot of junk. Every couple years I'll put a few (5 - 10) pounds back on and I'll lose it again by upping my output. The last six months or so I've been losing weight again, and I'm actually down 33 pounds from my high, but I've really upped my output and my muscle mass. I feel like I'm eating a lot more, but the scale stays the same or is slowly moving down. The extra muscle really does burn more calories.

I don't eat "diet food" either. Today's lunch is homemade chicken and dumplings. Last week I was eating lasagne and beef stew. Tonight's dinner will be homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Other than Red Bulls I drink very few sugared drinks and don't ever use fake sweetner. It makes my head ache.

I knew I couldn't stay on a diet plan for the rest of my life. I probably could not have stayed on one for two weeks. So I made changes that I could live with. I like to work out and I like to eat good food.

Veronica