I really hate to be redundant, because I’m sure you’ve been told this plenty of times already, (and so have I), but it is the actual answer: eat healthier foods and smaller portions, and exercise HARD at least 3-4 times a week.
I think it is especially important to add heavy lifting training into your fitness regime because it will shape your body better than an all cardio schedule. Also, muscle burns more calories even while resting so the more muscle you have, the faster you will see change! I heavy lift at least 3 times a week now, and that jump started my weight loss. Cardio is still done, but I do less endurance cardio (just running for a long time at a normal pace), and more high intensity cardio. For example, I will do short sprints at my fastest pace for 1/8 of a mile, then walk the rest of the lap. Then I will repeat this until I’ve finished one mile, usually. It is healthier for your heart to learn how to beat faster and then cool down faster, too. This will actually reduce your resting BPM, which is very healthy for your heart!
I also take pro-biotics daily now, and it has helped my stomach immensely and therefore helped my metabolism. That coupled with a daily multi-vitamin and LOTS of water has helped my body and mind feel better in general. I drink a lot of coffee, too, so I have to remember to drink DOUBLE the water for each coffee. So many bathroom breaks. So worth it.
I started using the app/website MyFitnessPal to track my intake and my output! I have a 67 day streak going on right now for logging my meals and my exercise. I find that app extremely helpful because it is encouraging and it tells you if you are eating enough/too little, not just if you are eating too much. It really is a good app for your health, and I think it has a good social community too that keeps me motivated! Before using MFP, I never thought too much about what I was putting into my body and my workouts were not as regimented. This made it harder for me to lose weight in a pleasing pattern. Now the scale goes down about 1 pound each week. That is a super healthy pattern of weight loss because it is not too fast.
However, I do not want to just lose weight! When I reach my desired weight, a healthy BMI, I wish to gain a little back in muscle. More muscle = MORE FOOD. And I sure do love food.
I hope this helps! Any other questions more specifically aimed at my diet and exercise, please feel free to ask me!






