Once you get down to goal on a low carbohydrate, low calorie diet (there is no other way, that works as efficiently), the challenge is finding a maintenance program that works for you. I live on dead animules and veggies Monday through Friday, and cheat on Saturday or Sunday or both days, if I want to cheat. Half the time I don’t bother to cheat, because I know I’m going to feel like hell for a day or two, whenever I eat carbs. That’s how I live, and it works for me. Another maintenance approach that works is Larry Goldberg’s Controlled Cheating. Larry weighed about 450 pounds at his all time high, dropped down to 150 pounds, and then maintained 150 pounds for more than 30 years. Larry passed away a few years ago, but you can still pick up used copies of his book, Controlled Cheating, on Amazon. In a nutshell, Larry cheated 2 days a week, and took off 2 weeks a year and ate whatever he wanted.