Hi Kel, it's really is hard to lose weight. But you've made the right steps. It sounds to me like you need the motivation and the will power more than the education, is that right? It's really important to set yourself some goals and make sure they have a time frame. Make them specific so not "tone up" or "lose weight" but, "lose XKG by X months". As for will power, thats a hard one because it is you and only you that can control it. You can make it easier for yourself by not buying naughty food and asking DH and others not to have it around you, but ultimatly it's down to you. A few years ago I read "Awaken the Giant Within" by Anthony Robbins, I don't know if you have a copy but he said something about choices that really stuck with me - I can't remember it exactly and i'll try anf dig it out but it went along the lines of...making a choice is hard but once you've made the choice, it's easy. So deciding to lose weight and get fit is difficult, you make all kinds of excuses and reasons not to do it. But once you make the choice it becomes easy, you don't give yourself any other option. Say to yourself "I am going to lose weight and I am going to do it like this...." and then when you find yourself faltering you just have to think back to the choice you made and there it is!

Diet and exercise have to go hand in hand to help you lose weight, yes you can lose weight if you diet but don't exercise and yes you can lose weight if you exercise and don't diet, but it's the two working together to create a new, healthy lifestyle that malke the changes you need to see to keep the weight off. Like Maz and Fionas said try and increase your incidental exercies (walk up the stairs, don't take the lift) as well as going for walks, buy some weights and work out at home, do an exercise dvd. Everything helps.

Also what Fionas said about alcohol is soooo true! I don't know if you drink much but I have to work hard to stay at the weight/shape I am now and even if I add in a glass of wine a night I put on weight straight away. The reason is becasue there are only 4 ways your body can create energy. From Carbs, Protein, Fat and Alcohol. Usually you're body will use predominantly Fat when you're pottering around the house or doing low intensity exercise. Then Carbs as the need for more energy increases. However the body can create energy from alcohol very easily so if you have alcohol in your system THAT is what is going to be burned off. So you can imagine the fat and carbs that are left sitting there waiting to get stored becasue they are not being utilised

Good luck with everything, it's hard but I think you'll find that once you start an exercise/weight loss program with conviction, you'll find the strength to stick with it!