If you focus on losing fat instead of just losing weight then you will have much more success because it is ultimately fat that makes you look, well, fat and which is what causes so many of the health problems associated with being overweight. When you focus on fat loss you also take steps that work long term and make it easier to keep the weight off like building muscle to increase your metabolism to burn more calories all the time. Most people seem to have a hard time with this concept possibly because they measure their success by what they see on the scale every day but this is not the way to go about weight loss. You should get your body fat checked to see exactly where you are. If your body fat percentage is over 33%, which now represents about a third of the American population, then you are considered obese and definitely need to do something to lose some fat to not only look better but to live healthier. One the other end of the spectrum if you are male and under 10% or female and under 15% then you already have low bodyfat and you may just need to lower it slightly to say, see your abs better. Even if you are not able to have your bodyfat checked by a professional to know exactly where you are there are still some ways to be able to gauge your progress. If you have the guts take a photo of yourself in just a bathing suit every few weeks and you will probably be amazed at the changes you start to see in the way you look for the better. Another simple way to judge whether you are losing fat is in how your clothes fit. If your old clothes become loose then your are losing bodyfat even if your weight on the scale stays the same and in some cases this is exactly what happens when you gain muscle and lose fat which is exactly what you want. Focus on losing fat and you will achieve your ultimate goal of losing weight and looking better and healthier.