Any suggestions from former fat people on what they did that made a difference?

I lost 40 pounds on the Atkins diet. I really like it because I never have to go hungry as long as I eat protein. Cheese and any kine of meat are fine on Atkins. You can even have a martini in the evening as long as you only drink distilled liquor (zaro carbs). But if you can't stay away from pasta, bread or potatoes, it is not going to work well for you.

I also work out for 2-3 hours a day between 3 and 5 days a week.