Not all miracles are instant

No matter which approach you take, you will not wake up 40 pounds slimmer tomorrow.

You may, however, wake up one pound slimmer.

It takes 40 of those episodes to lose 40 pounds.  By doing things "naturally" (a la Bucket List Weight Loss), you'll probably lose an average of one pound a week.  That makes it a 40-week project.  That's 10 months.  By November 2013, you should be 40 pounds slimmer.  If you want to remain healthy, and if you want the weight to STAY OFF FOREVER, it will probably take you that long.  After that stretch of time, everything you are doing daily to lose it will become a habit for life.

Shrinking yourself takes time.  You won't see progress every day.  But stay the course.  Even though you sometimes can't see it happening, you'll be melting fat.

Count calories.  Listen to your gut instead of your head.  Weigh daily.  Believe.

Bucket List Weight Loss, an e-book for $2.99, available at Amazon.com and other e-book retailers.