Biggest Loser Success Secrets?

Jason asked that each of us who lost double digits share our secrets.  Well...I'm not sure I have any secrets.  Actually, I feel a bit like an impostor in this contest -- yes, I lost 23 pounds (actually more), but I didn't really go through any grueling process to do it.  Was it diet and exercise?  Well, yes, sort of...

Exercise: OK, I did a little.  Very little.  3 or 4 times a week, my wife and I would go for a brisk, but not exactly vigorous or tortuous, walk.  For about 20 minutes.  Now I should mention that I've always been fairly physically active -- you won't find me sitting for very long, but it's not generally any specific kind of exercise -- I just like to be moving.

Diet: I made some minor changes.  I avoided most fried foods, and I learned to pass on most desserts.  And, I avoided the candy dish at the office.  Well, most of the time.  I may have added more vegetables and fruits, but not a lot more -- I already liked those healthy foods!

Eating Frequency: I did make a real change here -- I ate *more* often!  I intentionally ate breakfast most of the time, I added in very light snacks both in the morning and afternoon, but otherwise not much change.

I [almost] always ate a Carb with a Protein: This may have been more significant than I give it credit for.  I've heard of this "food mixing" concept before, and I figured it couldn't hurt.  Even for snacks, I made sure I had both carb and protein.

I chose to eat less: I'm pretty sure this is the most significant part of my weight loss.  It wasn't really hard once I made a mind-set change.  Being a child of depression-era parents and growing up in the military, I was always taught to clean my plate, and I typically did.  The "trick" for me was to use a smaller plate, and put less on it to start with, or alternatively, to consciously choose not to eat part of the meal and to split it off from what I would eat.  Eating out, I'd intentionally choose what I was going to take home, before starting any of the meal.  Very late in the contest, I also started watching Paul McKenna on TLC's "I Can Make You Thin" series, and I started slowing down when eating and making a point of enjoying the food.  Something in all this left me quite satisfied eating less.  Weird!

As to what specifically I ate, that was always my problem in dieting.  I don't have a lot of opportunity (time) to be real choosy about what I eat.  A significant part of my eating is on-the-go.  My wonderful wife pulled a book off the shelf that she'd referred to before, Eat Well Live Well.  It's apparently now out of print, but quite available on the used market, and I'm not convinced that there's any "magic" formula in this book -- it just had a few pages of suggested meals and snacks.  That worked for me.

The accountability of the contest was apparently also a factor, because I haven't lost any more weight since the contest ended.  I've continued most of the same habits since the end of the contest, and my weight has stayed pretty close to the ending weight, fluctuating a pound or two.  Like Jason, I'm noticing there's still some flab that I could stand to lose, so I'm ready to go for round two.  Bring it on!