echokitten

I'm 37, 5'3" and have lost 30 lbs since Jan of 2007. I lost 4 jean sizes in 8 months. I'm now in the process of building muscle and eating clean/cutting BF for better definition.
I lost most of my weight by running and doing HIIT on the treadmill and spin bike. Which ONLY worked because I had an excess of body fat, eventually I plateaued like ALL people do who only use cardio to lose weight... Then I started P90X home workout system. I would recommend this workout to anyone seeking to gain definition and strength.
I strive to eat as clean and healthy as possible without going completely insane. I do occasionally treat myself for sanity and keep it all in perspective.
I feel healthy, and am in the best shape of my life. I could not have accomplished any of this without this amazing site and the encouragement of my husband.

I finally took my own advise: Don't just sit around bitching about it, fix it or shut up.

My advise:
Eat a clean healthy diet, treat yourself occasionally, don't be afraid to sweat or have some muscle definition. LIFT HEAVY, LIFT HARD.

Redefine what a treat is in your diet also. Instead of a cookie or junky fast food, I "treat" myself to healthier alternatives that are too expensive for me to eat every day. I choose the healthier version like raspberries/blackberries.

But most of all, have realistic goals. Don't set yourself up for failure before you even start the race.
Answers to the most frequent question:
1:STOP eating processed carbs/sugars
2:STOP eating Fast food
3:STOP drinking soda of any kind
4:EAT MEAT, lots of it
5:DON'T BE AFRAID OF FAT. Fat doesn't make you fat...excess carbs and sugars make you fat.
4:LIFT WEIGHTS! REALLY HEAVY WEIGHTS OR YOU WILL NEVER SEE ANY RESULTS.
5:DON'T WEIGHT YOURSELF, MEASURE YOUR BODY AND SET ATTAINABLE GOALS.
6:PUSH YOURSELF...HARD. IF YOU THINK YOU CAN'T DO ANOTHER REP, LAP, MILE...DO ONE MORE.

Do High intensity intervals of tabatas. Much better than steady state cardio when trying to maintain BF%. I haven't done any...ANY steady state cardio since April 2009 and have managed to maintian my BF and my muscle mass and increase my weights in my workouts and have found that my size 2 Lucky Brands are now loose. Go figure...