By turning his back on fad diets, Subiefan98 has lost 90lbs and is nearing his goal weight.  He learnt that there is no “magical” answer to weight loss, and that he had to change his eating habits and add exercise in order to succeed.

He contacted us through our Share Your Story feature and provided the following answers to our questionnaire.

1. What prompted you to begin this weight loss journey? Did you have an "Aha!" moment?

I have always wanted to try and lose weight but what would usually happen is that I would start and then I would lose motivation for it and go back to my old habits. Finally I just got to the point where I just decided I was tired of being heavy so I decided that no matter what I was going to change.

2. What other "diets" (programs, products, plans, or services) had you tried in the past?

I had done all kinds of different fad diets including Atkins, other low carb plans, a version of South Beach and others. They never gave me any results that would be permanent, just quick results that I could never maintain.

3. Please describe how you reached your weight loss goal. What changes did you make to your usual diet, activity, lifestyle, and attitude?  Did you implement any other strategies besides Calorie Count?  What was the most important change?

To get down to my current weight I changed my entire eating habits. Instead of eating burgers, pizza, and fries everyday at dinner in the college cafeteria I switched to eating much more healthy foods. I ate more fruits and vegetables and also cut out sugary drinks and "junk food". The thing that helped me the most though was getting into the gym and working out much more often. That combined with the changes in diet gave me more energy throughout the day and allowed me to be more active which also was a big help.

4. Please describe how Calorie Count was instrumental to your weight loss.

Calorie Count allowed me to really get an idea how much I was actually eating and how everything that I was eating would affect my entire diet. With all the nutrition details listed I could make meals that would help me to achieve the optimal levels of each nutrient to make sure I was getting the most out of anything that I ate.

5. What difficulties did you experience losing weight?

One of the most difficult things was trying to stick to my goals and plans when going out with friends. With being in college the normal weekend meals usually include delivery pizza or fast food and all kinds of other junk foods. It was tough to go and be with everyone when that kind of stuff was around when I was really trying to watch myself. It really took a lot of willpower to not cave in.

6. How long did it take you to see results? When did you realize that you were a success?

I was able to see results pretty fast and thanks to the tools on Calorie Count I was able to really track those results. I think the moment that I could really say was a true success for me was when I came home from college for spring break and my family barely recognized me because I had lost so much weight.

7. How do you prevent relapse?

I have learned that sometimes it's better to give into one craving then get back on your plan than try and hold out forever and have it get to you. If you want pizza one day, get it but make sure that the next day you're back on your plan. That way you won't feel like you are missing out on everything.

8. How has your life changed now that you've lost weight?

I have so much more confidence in myself because of losing the weight. I now feel like I can go out and enjoy myself without thinking about what other people are thinking about how I look. Also I have more energy to get out and do the things I like doing and not be out of breath all the time when playing sports and doing other physical activity.

9. How long have you maintained your current weight?

I have maintained my current weight for about a month and a half now. Currently I'm in the gym and focused on building muscle so I'm no longer losing weight at the same rate however I have noticed that even without the weight loss my clothes fit better and I feel like I'm losing weight because of the transformation of fat to muscle.

10. What five tips do you have for other dieters?

• Make little changes to start and slowly work your way into the plan that you want to follow for long term.
• Don't get discouraged if things slow down or if you don't lose weight as fast as you had envisioned. Stick to it and you'll see results.
• Utilize every resource you can. The tools from Calorie Count coupled with health magazines, trainers at gyms, and other health oriented articles on the internet can give you many tips and advice to help you get the results you want.
• Make a plan that you can follow and stick to. If your plan is way too hard then you're not going to want to stick with it and you won't see results.
• Remember that you are your greatest ally and your greatest enemy. Keeping a positive attitude about what you're doing and why you're doing it and you will be able to accomplish your goal easier than if you really don't know why you want to do it. Remember to have fun with it and you'll be able to get what you want!!