One thing that most people do not understand about weight control is that you need to find a balance in life.  Taking care of yourself is part of your job.  If you do not feel good and have any energy, you are unable to perform your work or take care of others.  

Part of controlling your weight is physical activity.  The American Heart Association recommends for heart health 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity 5 times a week or 25 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity 3 times a week, along with 2 days of moderate to vigorous strength training per week.  The CDC recommendation for overall health that adults get 300 minutes of physical activity per week.  With these guidelines in mind, it is important to find something that you can do for the rest of your life.  I have people tell me all the time that they hate running and my response is, " no one said you have to run".  Just find something that you can continue, not do it for a couple of months and stop.  Not everyone likes to do the same type of exercises.  There are certain types of exercises that I do not like to do and that is ok.  Find what works for you.  

The biggest thing in weight control is what you eat.   I would say that this is the hardest to find balance in.  One thing everyone needs to understand with food and drink choices is that it is not an all or nothing kind of thing.   I would not say that I make every right choice, but it is not about that.  It is making the healthier choices most of the time and refining the choices that you typically eat.  For example,  if you enjoy eating chicken alferdo then you can make it with fat free half and half, use whole grain pasta and add spinach, mushrooms and other veggies to reduce the amount of pasta and sauce that you use.  However, if you eat something that is not the right choice it is not the end of the world.  Do not sit there and say well I messed up so who cares and just giving up.  It is all about BALANCE!  It is not a start and stop kind of thing.  A glass or 2 of wine occasionally is fine but not 4 glasses everyday of the week.  You will gain weight.  Finding your balance is important to healthy living and finding happiness in life.  And it is about being healthy not perfect!