Many people have asked me how I lost 80 pounds last year. Even though I've put some weight back on, they still want to know.

The simple answer is that I ate right and exercised.  I usually don't get the impression those asking wanted to hear that.  People usually want to hear that I found some magic pill or easy diet.  In reality, though, there is no magic pill or easy diet.  There are medications to help us lose weight, but they are most effective when we combine the medication with exercise and proper nutrition.

Similarly, there are many diet programs that can help.  Again, they work best when combined with exercise.

Sometimes, folks ask if I had surgery to lose weight.  Again, I feel like they're looking for an easy route.  Weight-loss surgery, however, is not an easy solution.  To be safe and successful, the patient must follow a strict diet regimen.  Of course, physician-supervised exercise is also very beneficial to the patient.

Medications, specialized diets, and surgery are all worthwhile options to consider and discuss with your doctor; but those options are not appropriate for everyone.  Plus, those options are not universally successful.  Many of my friends and family members have tried those options and succeeded.  Many more, however, have not lost the weight they wanted to lose or have gained weight.

The most important thing to do before trying medications, specialized diets, or surgery is to discuss the option with your doctor.  Then, carefully consider whether you'll be able to maintain the program you choose.  If do decide to use one of those methods, then follow your doctor's advice and stick with it.  Doing so should lead to great success.

As I mentioned, those options are not for everyone.  Specifically, they were not for me.  I knew I wouldn't stick with a specialized diet and I wasn't ready to try surgery or medication.  Therefore, I decided eating right and exercising was appropriate for me.

I wrote at the beginning of this post that eating right and exercising was my simple answer.  However, it is not a simple process for most of us.  Some people can eat the most nutritious foods and exercise six times each week with no difficulty.  The majority of us, though, struggle with the temptations of fatty foods and finding the time to exercise.  Therefore, I will share my strategies with you.

As with anything else, eating right and exercising only work if you find solutions that are right for you.  My strategies may not interest you, but my hope is that these tactics spark some ideas for you.

The first challenge I had to overcome was my voracious appetite.  I did so by drinking lots of water, eating smaller meals at regular intervals, and making healthier snack choices.  One snack option that works really well for me is rice cakes with salsa.  It's a very low calorie and very filling snack.  Plus, the salsa covers the bland taste of the rice cakes.  Other easy snacks that I love are apples and carrots, which help increase my fruit and vegetable intake.

Drinking water helps me feel full, as well.  Water can get pretty boring, so I flavor it with a low calorie drink mix, like Crystal Light, or a protein mix, like Special K water mix.  Both make the water more interesting and the protein helps curb my appetite.

I always have breakfast, even if I'm not hungry.  Otherwise, I will get very hungry around 10:30 am and eat more than I need.  I start my other meals with some fruit or a salad so I get important nutrients and fill up faster.

The best tip I learned to curb my appetite is to listen to my body.  I eat more slowly and stop as soon as I start to feel hungry.  I'm able to stop because I tell myself I can eat more if I'm still hungry in 20 minutes.  I'm rarely hungry 20 minutes later, but that self-promise keeps me from feeling like I'm depriving myself.

I also cut empty calories, such as desserts and alcohol.  I didn't consume any for 6 months to break the habits and cravings.  Then, I was able to add both back into my diet in moderation.  That prevents me from having uncontrollable cravings, especially for cakes and ice cream, and eating too much.

I was able to exercise regularly by picking the activities I like and including something to keep me entertained.  I really enjoy weightlifting and spending time on the treadmill, elliptical machine, or recumbent bike (a bike with a chair-style seat).  I get bored easily, so I listen to energizing music.

Like most of us, I often have trouble finding the time.  To overcome that, I get up earlier in the morning and bring something to work on while doing cardio.  I'll catch up on my reading or use my smart phone to make notes about work or home projects.  Of course, a notepad would work just as well.  That helps me be productive and get work done while exercising.  In fact, I do most of my writing while exercising.

Finally, I make sure I'm consuming fewer calories than I'm expending by tracking my eating and exercise.  There are many, many free and inexpensive websites and computer programs that track calorie balance.  Some that look good to me are Spark People (www.sparkpeople.com), Calorie Count from About.com Health (http://caloriecount.about.com), The USDA’s MyPyramid.gov (http://MyPyramid.gov), and Fit Day (www.fitday.com).  I use Fit Day’s purchased version because it's easy to maintain and tracks all the parameters important to me.

I know loosing weight isn't easy, but you can succeed if you try.  I have faith in you.

I'd love to hear from you.  Please feel free to email your questions or ideas to me at RoadToAMillion@cox.net.  I'm looking forward to reading your messages.