Weight Loss is a challenge, but well worth the effort!

I've lost 60 pounds since March 1st of this year, but I've had to really pull out all stops to make it happen.  Sometimes it seems the weight falls off quickly; while other times it's all I can do to lose a half of a pound.  I also must state that every round has been a challenge, and weekends are not my friend.  I thought I'd list some of the ways I've lost weight and the struggles I've add in hope that it might help some of you.

• I returned to North Carolina the end of February.  My wife and I had moved to New York last October and rented a house on the next street across from our daughter so we'd be there to help her and her husband when she gave birth to our first grandchild.  I've had weight issues for a long time, but I gained a lot more weight while living in NY, because there wasn't much to do since it seemed to snow every day.  Anyway, I decided at that point that I'd join the gym again and start getting the weight off.
• I joined the gym and started on the Nutri System program.  The weight began to drop off rather quickly, but eventually I got tired of the Nutri System food and had hit my first real plateau.  I believe I lost around 25 - 30 pounds, but as I said, I was at a stand-still.
• I can't remember if I heard about DietBet on Facebook or an email, but I looked into the program.  When I saw that you could win money by meeting goals, I thought "Count me in!", so I signed up for "The Transformer".  That was one of the best decisions I ever made, because I'm always motivated to reach each round's goal knowing that I'll miss my target and not receive that round's earnings.  Another plus, is that I've met a lot of really nice people on her who have kept me motivated and always applaud my accomplishments.  That really means more than you will ever know!
• My first challenge was learning to drink water.  I had been drinking a bottle or two a day, but then I'd drink coffee (a lot) during the other times.  I now drink between 100 - 140 ounces of water a day, and it seems like I can't get enough water now.
• Another challenge I faced was the cheat day.  My cheat days would sometimes run into 2 or 3 days, and then on Mondays, I'd be upset because I had gained a pound or two.  I knew it was primarily water weight, but weight is weight and it was discouraging.  Therefore, I learned over time that I need to not have cheat days.  I may eat a little something extra, but I try to stay away from sweets, because once I get the taste in my mouth, then it's like I'm not satisfied until I've eaten every cookie, doughnut, or candy bar around, so for me, I'm better off staying away from them except on a special occasion.
• Another challenge is those darn plateaus and they always come near weigh-in time.  Seems like you can be doing everything right and exercising like crazy, but the scale won't budge.  I've learned to make sure I'm drinking my water and to mix it up with my exercise.  I love to walk or jog, but your body gets so used to what you're doing so fast, that it doesn't respond to weight loss if it knows what you're doing.  This week, I started to do some HIIT Training, because I had hit another plateau, but after starting the HIIT Training and switching to the Atkins for a few days, I was able to break through one more plateau.
• I now know that this is a life long process, and whether I'm participating in another DietBet or just focusing on my own process, I know I can now succeed!