What I do is not Atkins though…although fats are encouraged..so are any vegetables..I eat eggs for breakfast…Salads with meat for lunch…and some meat with many veggies for dinner…Nothing crazy. Just no starchy carbs.

This doctor has outlined a very simple plan to follow (very few rules) the farther you get on the list the healthier you’ll become. Its basically what I do. It took about a month for stuff to start working though so patience is necessary as insulin resistance can cause your cells to hold onto the fat…

http://www.archevore.com/get-started/

Eating meant and vegetables has caused my body to lean out naturally. I’m convinced humans weren’t meant to eat grass seeds (grains) and need to eat more natural fats for energy.

I look around at people on treadmills and ellipticals when I’m at the gym and 75-85% of them are plodding along and not pushing themselves. Many never lift weights.

I’d guess that you could use another 7 or 8 lbs of lean muscle. That and pushing harder when doing cardio will probably produce better results. Find a personal trainer and let them know you don’t mind bulking up a little in the short term to reach your long term goals.

After I married I very quickly gained weight. It didn’t help that I broke my leg. In the last year I’ve lost 45lbs and have another 15 to get to my ideal weight. I’m at the gym 5-6 days/week and I record every meal. Keeping an accurate journal and sticking to your allowance of calories is much more effective than cutting out types of food.

regulation of insulin is the key to weight loss…Calories are only relevant over the long run…daily calorie counting is obsessive and will not get you losing weight. Eating whole food (with butter of course) will.

for your reading pleasure: http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

LCHF= Low carb high fat

I beg to differ—although I suppose it depends what you mean by “really throw themselves.” If you mean complete control of every morsel that goes into the mouth, and many many hours every single day of intense training, then you are correct.

But even fairly rigid diet control and very regular exercise (both of which I’ve maintained for most of my adult life) does not suffice in many cases. I’ve seen this same phenomenon among friends, too. Unless the devotion is total and fairly extreme (a fairly intense case of OCD), it doesn’t necessarily work for many many people.

Years ago I stood at the finish line of the Boston Marathon and watched for quite a long time. The very earliest finishers were all lean, of course. But I was stunned and surprised to see that many (not the majority, but a very substantial number) of those with very respectable times were somewhat overweight. Not just muscular, but somewhat fat, although not obese. It was a sobering sight; these people were clearly in excellent shape in terms of exercise, and yet for many it didn’t seem to make them the least bit lean.