Any secrets to weight loss?

I was complemented on my weight loss today by a fellow bandit and asked if I had any secrets to share on how I'd done it. Below is roughly what I replied:

I don't really have any secrets to weight loss - just 'rules'!! I am very lucky because I have always eaten very healthy foods (eg loads of vegetables, fruit, fish etc) - my problem is that I've eaten a lot of the unhealthy stuff as well!!! Especially chocolate and cheese. I'm also lucky that pizzas, KFC and burgers have never 'done it' for me - and I'm a vegetarian which helps too! So for me, I haven't had to re-learn eating good food, just cutting out the bad stuff. I don't keep chocolate or cheese in the house, or crisps or anything else that I might be tempted to snack on (although I 'steal' some of my husband's French baguette when I'm feeling naughty). I also stick to most of the band rules most of the time (eg not drinking after eating, chewing well, eating slowly, eating off a small plate, getting lots of exercise etc etc).

HOWEVER - I'm no saint! I have very bad days when I binge like crazy and am just coming to the end (I hope) of a period of about three weeks when I've generally been very naughty and not lost an ounce!

If I could pass on ONE lesson to others that has helped me enormously, it would be to maintain a daily record of everything you eat, everything you drink and every bit of exercise you do. Count every calorie, weigh everything and write it down - and keep doing it even when you are SOooooo bored of doing it you could cry. When I go off the rails, it helps to look back at the days when I did well and remind myself what I ate and when. And when I'm just getting bored with the whole thing, I can look at my record and remind myself of how far I've come.

All the best, Theresa