70 lbs. down. Now I can rant about obnoxious fitness fanatics.

[Silent3]

125. I've already done a span of eight years before this...

...where I worked off 70 lbs. in about a year, then kept it off for around seven.

And I'm afraid to say it was pretty much just grueling, unappealing work that whole time. It never became fun for me. I think what you're saying is a mistake that many "fanatics" make. They assume what happened to them, their experience, is "how it works". If they went from hating it to loving it, then everyone else will go from hating it to loving it -- if only they give it a try.

I can attest from my experience that your experience is not universal, and cannot be counted upon. I realized that some people might take my OP as providing excuses, but I intended it more as a way to brace people for something that might turn out to be the truth for them -- they might have to, like I did, accept that their rewards might only be in the results, but not the process. I wanted others to know it was possible to push through it anyway, and if they weren't having a great time at it, it wasn't just them.

On the more positive side, I can say that all the walking I've been doing this time around has been a great improvement over the chief form of exercise I used the first time, which was a stationery exercise bike. Far more tolerable, and even occasionally enjoyable, where the bike was pure drudgery.

I mentioned the stuff about the time I have available to admit that I have an advantage there. It's of course a good idea to make the time no matter what, but I personally can't claim credit for being the sort of person who could do that.