It was so great to get all the positive feedback from my post earlier this week! But I got a few questions from people who thought it might be difficult to keep up my new lifestyle for 6-7 years...or more.

I don't think I have a choice. Do you?

What...am I'm going to go from weighing almost 200 pounds to my future goal weight (which I set at 150, but might actually be 140...we'll see what's up when I get there) and then stop exercising? Stop being healthy? Would I really do this when I've finally found what gives me results? When I finally feel better about my appearance than I have in years?

There is not a brownie in the world or a heap of French fries so appealing that could ever make me stop what I'm doing.

For me - and I am very thankful for this fact - it was never about eating lots of unhealthy foods. If you know me, you know I've been a pescatarian for 20 years, eat very little processed foods and no sweets. I don't salivate when I see chocolate...I know, I'm a freak of nature. Thank goodness, though! I think I'd have even more work to do if treats appealed to me.

I did, however, drink lots of diet pop, too much alcohol, didn't measure or track my food quantities and didn't exercise enough. And on Fridays, I pretty much said to heck with sensibility and find myself eating Veggie Lo Mein for lunch, pizza for dinner and lots of cocktails, just to blow off steam. I still have a little pizza and vodka on Friday nights, but I haven't ordered Chinese for lunch since I started this thing. On Fridays, I'll bet I consumed enough calories that I was easily packing on an additional pound each week.

So, aside from my Friday overhall, this modification to my lifestyle has been pretty simple, and I kick myself for not figuring it out sooner.

If you're someone who struggles with food, I want you to know, I am here for you. I will gladly listen to you and support you.

But for me, I visualize myself in those dream jeans, neatly folded in my closet, waiting for me to put them on for the first time, and there is NOTHING I want to eat that could make me feel better than that!

So, what choice do we really have besides making this the time we try and truly, permanently succeed?