Losing weight is one of the biggest challenges out there.

Nearly every adult in this country has dieted at some point in their lives.
90% fail to keep the weight off.

So is it possible to be slim for life? Fat chance!

We found one Wisconsin woman winning the weight battle. She shared some of her success secrets with us.

Gayle Rosenberg wants to lose 70 pounds. She's lost 35, so she's halfway there.

"It's frustrating," she admitted. Because every day is a struggle.

"And if I would keep letting myself go and gaining more weight.. I know I wouldn't be able to be active like I like to be," Rosenberg explained.

Even with family support, dieting is daunting.

According to the American Medical Association, 56% of American adults are overweight. 54 million of us are on a diet right now!
And up to 95-percent of us will gain the weight back.

Gayle is determined to beat those odds.

Doctor Timothy Jahn says the problem starts with people getting caught up in a quick fix-- a crash diet promising instant results.
Once those results are realized... They give up.

"You can't think 'Well I'm going to diet for a few weeks and get down to this weight and then go back to what I'm doing' then you'll creep right back wherever you were at before," Dr. Jahn explained.

The biggest challenge, according to dietitian Barb Herald, is breaking bad habits.

"We've not really taught ourselves how to deal with some of the everyday eating situations that in the past resulted into overeating," Herald said.

Emotional eating can be a real diet-killer. More than a third of women admit they've sabotaged their own diet efforts on a bad day.

It's been a tough road for Gayle.

"I'm still hungry after what I ate," she admitted. "But then I have to keep reminding myself that this is something I have to work through."

You can't just make mealtime changes. For long-term weight loss success, don't forget exercise. It's a key component many dieters leave out.

Dr. Jahn cited this statistic: "Only 12% of Americans have a regular exercise regiment..that's not very good."

But Gayle Rosenberg said she believes in herself. "It's a life change that I'm working on... I'm very committed."