Hamish, I lost about 30 pounds in the last year. There's a secret they don't like to talk about because it isn't profitable. Of course you need to get a bit of exercise, a small weight set is about all you need. The rest you get by walking. The secret is push away from the table sooner. If you burn more calories than you take in you are going to lose weight, or at least fat. Remember, lean muscle weighs more than fat. I figure working out and eating less and more balanced meals I lost 30 pounds total. That would mean I lost probably 45 pounds of fat while adding 15 in lean muscle. Higher percentage in lean muscle is good. It really isn't the number of pounds you lose so much as the weight in fat.