First step archived! Well done. <br>I didn't think tweat would work for me, I've never dieted before, but it does, I've been on it for nearly a month now and I've got rid a couple of stubborn kilos, and got fitter with exercise. That's the motivation: to notice the positve changes!:)

make sure to keep a balanced diet, or else you'll go crazy! if i only eat really healthy for a while and don't give into any cravings, i go crazy with junkfood and completely ruin my efforts. If you allow yourself a certain amount of "bad" food you eliminate your chances of a big binge. I usually have a not so healthy meal every couple days, and just eat really good the rest of the time so I don't feel like I'm missing out on everything. As you go on, you can limit yourself to one free meal a week. Also, water...I can tell when I don't have enough because I get really bloated, then after a couple days of drinking lots of water my tummy is flat again. Rule of thumb is to cut your weight in half (lbs) and drink that many ounces, plus one cup for every meal and non water beverage, just to help balance out any extra sodium your meal may have. Also, don't become too obsessed, you'll start being really unhealthy. I used to have some eating disorders, but then I became pregnant and I gained 35lbs and after he was born I started the healthy balance thing and by the time he was 3 months old I was 10lbs lighter than when I got pregnant. And while exercise is important too, don't go all out right away, food is 80% and exercise is the other 20%. Make small changes slowly so you don't become overwhelmed and quit. And you've already quit smoking, which is waaaay harder than losing weight, so your a powerhouse! If you ever feel down just think about what you've already accomplished, sooo many people cannot quit smoking no matter what they do and you've already done it =) OH! get an outfit you want to wear on your trip, whether its a cute bathing suit or dress and hang it on your wall or somewhere you'll see it a lot and it'll motivate you to fit into it. Good luck!! xo,

@o918o9 Thank you sooo much for that fab advice. I really have to work on drinking more water, you'd be shocked to hear the only time I ever drink water is when I exercise and the rest of the time I drink tea (not even herbal or green tea but caffinated black tea with a splash of milk). Working on your calculations I should be drinking at least 2 litres a day. I'm going away with work next week so it'll be more difficult to control calories when staying in a hotel but I'll try to keep everything in moderation. I'm definately going to treat myself to something nice to wear on holiday (better than treating myself to cake) to motivate me. Thanks again.x