> The right "diet" is the one you can consistently adhere to. This is incredibly important. Having managed to lose a lot of weight, gradually, and then keep it

> The right "diet" is the one you can consistently adhere to. This is incredibly important. Having managed to lose a lot of weight, gradually, and then keep it off for several years, the key for me was finding something that fitted into my life and to which I could stick. I also gradually changed things, rather than doing a big-bang change. My problem over the last few years has been the effect of having children. Between the sleep deprevation and the change to my schedules I found it a lot harder to stick to my previous routines, resulting in me falling back into old habits. I'm now trying small changes, starting with at 10/14 routine, which I'll probably make more strict (8/16) in the future once it's become habitual. If nothing else I'm finding I sleep better than when I ate later in the day, which improves my will-power, and having a period of being hungry makes resisting snacks easier during the eating period. Good habits are hard to form and keep, and bad habits are even harder to break permanently. You have to be kind to yourself and take your time if you want those changes to be for the rest of your life. Losing weight is simple, but hard.