Can you lose 40 pounds? You bet! But when Annie Rennix, 24, was weighing 240 pounds, she was frustrated, and was contemplating gastric bypass surgery. What did she do to lose a total of 115 pounds?

She did some research, and created her own weight loss plan. Since losing weight, she has become a certified nutritionist and opened her own weight-loss center to help other people lose weight. How she did it:

Biggest Obstacle

Finding a weight-loss plan that worked for her. After doing some research about food and exercise, she found a program that she could follow for the rest of her life.

Weekly Exercise Program

Walking or elliptical training: 60 minutes/4 times a week. Pilates and weight training: 30 minutes/2 times a week.

Eating Philosophy

She eats five meals a day consisting of minimally processed, low-sugar foods from all food groups.

What She Learned

Enjoy variety. Make sure you eat food from all food groups while focusing on serving size, calories and carbohydrates. Make exercise fun.

Rather than just going to the gym, taking a dance class or doing housework can count as exercise as long as you are breaking a sweat and getting your heart rate up.

Do not forget to reward yourself. She treated herself to manicures and workout clothes for every 10 pounds she lost. There little treats made the journey more enjoyable. [source: Looking Good]