I am down 40 pounds. Finally, people have noticed. I want to ensure I continue my weight loss. I lost my gym buddy to shift work and heading into the Holiday foods. Any good tips on how to keep my motivation going!

Hi there, you're doing great! Keep going to the gym -- for me, exercise has been really important. I had to pretend to like it for a long time then suddenly one day I actually found I wanted to exercise for real. Really? Me? Yup. Make that commitment to yourself. Hang out with healthy people and don't get tempted by Christmas goodies. In a way we all have Christmas every day in our society -- it's one sugary event after the other. I remind myself when I'm reaching for something out of habit, "oh, that's right -- I don't do that anymore."

I'm like @@Bandista ....... I exercise all the time now. Thanksgiving week was no different. The day before and the day after. Didn't miss a beat. Saw my 25 yr old daughter doing this for years, and I finally learned from her. I'm not even worried about the holidays for the second year in a row. I may taste a few little extras here or there, but I'll keep exercising and let the band do what it is supposed to do.

You burn more calories in the winter, you body - metabolism working to keep warm.

That's good news, B-52!