For Helena, losing weight was possible through a simple yet highly effective method for her

-What finally made you decide to start with a weight loss program?
After my daughter was born I started to realize how dangerous obesity was (and that in fact, I was obese - I used to think the word obese described people who were much fatter than me). I wanted to be there for my daughter and I wanted to be healthy. I also wanted her to learn better eating habits, and I knew that children imitate their parents.

-What type of weight loss program are you following?
I just started to eat less and exercise more.

-Why did you choose this method of weight loss?
It seemed the logical thing to do. I had become fat by eating too much; I had to lose fat by eating less.

-How long have you been doing this weight loss method?
About 2.5 years. Though I wouldn't say I am on a weight loss program now.

-What kinds of physical activities do you like doing to help you lose weight and stay fit?
I walk, ride the bicycle and recently took up running. During the weight loss period my only form of exercise was walking while wearing my daughter in a baby carrier.

-What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome or are still overcoming?
My changing body image. For a long time, when I looked in the mirror I did not immediately recognize it was me. I had a hard time adjusting to being thin, after having been fat my whole life. It felt like I was just pretending.

-How do you keep yourself motivated?
That's not difficult anymore. I just never ever want to be fat again. I realize almost every day how glad I am that I am thin now. I love sitting next to my daughter in one chair, I love sitting with her on a swing without being afraid that it will break under my weight. I love the fact that I can now run without being out of breath immediately and without feeling the ground trembling beneath me. I love the fact that my body fits me now.

When I was still fat I was motivated by not wanting to get diabetes. It was not something I constantly thought about, but I had a very clear reason for wanting to lose weight. If your goals are clear and important to you, you don't need constant tricks to keep you motivated.

-Do you have any weight loss tips for our readers?
1. Find out WHY you want to lose weight. If it is something that really matters to you, it is not difficult to sacrifice some things and you will get willpower. Read up on exactly how bad obesity is. Realize that diabetes is a terrible disease (I used to think it was not a big deal nowadays, but I was wrong). That the fat cells in your belly are responsible for heart disease and cancer.

2. Find out what you are eating and how many calories there are in your food. Once I realized that one milkshake was as much calories as an entire lunch, my desire for milkshakes disappeared. I really did not like them that much. My desire for potato chips lasted longer, but knowing how much calories I ate helped me control my portions. I weighed them on a kitchen scale and accounted for them in a food diary. There were many things I did not expect. Did you know that one bagel equals four servings of bread, for example?

3. Celebrate your successes, forget your failures. Everybody makes mistakes; the difference is how you pick up yourself after that. Just accept that this was a bad moment/hour/day/week and move on.

4. Eat healthy. If you lose weight you get less calories, but you still need the same amount of vitamins and minerals. Weight loss is also stressful for your body. You should get lots of anti-oxidants from foods, so get the majority of your calories from anti-oxidant rich foods such as vegetables, fruits and beans. Green vegetables are exceptionally rich in nutrients: eat your greens every day.

-Do you think it will be easy to fall back into your old lifestyle pattern? How do you prevent this from happening?
I will never fall back into my old eating pattern because it does not appeal to me anymore at all. It was quite shocking for me to not buy potato chips when they were on sale in the supermarket the first times, but now I do not even notice them. It is not something I want to eat anymore. I want to be healthy and feel good and I know the junk food I used to eat will only make me feel bad.

That said, I do still have challenges. Now that I am thin I only need about 1800 calories a day and I notice I have to start watching my portions, even though I almost only eat healthy foods. It also is challenging to find time to exercise, especially now that the weather here starts deteriorating. Just being aware of those challenges is enough to do something about it, in my experience. One bad week does not mitigate everything I have accomplished, I am not going to fall in the "it is going downhill anyways, I may as well quit completely" trap.

I still weigh myself almost every day. I don't fret about a couple of pounds more or less, but once I see 63 kg on the scale I am a bit stricter for a few days.