Gayle works out for an hour five to six days a week. For 30 minutes she does cardio, often on the treadmill, followed by 30 minutes of strength training either with resistance bands or free weights. One day she concentrates on her upper body; the next day on her lower body. And on weekends, when she has more time, she covers both. In addition, she throws in abdominal exercises at least 3 to 4 days a week.

All of the strength-training moves are from the book, Business Plan for the Body by Jim Karas and Gayle swears by them. "Before I was doing cardio, cardio, cardio," she says. "And I wasn't losing weight the way I'm losing now. Jim said to me that building up muscle really does burn calories faster. For me, that's been the case."

Keeping it Off  
Two years ago, Gayle dropped 20 pounds during a three-month makeover with trainer Karas. Gayle credits him with two pieces of wisdom that made the difference this time: First, he told her, maintenance is just as much work as, if not more than, losing the weight ("I'd never heard that before," she says), and second, she would not have to deprive herself.

In the new world according to Gayle—who stands 5'10" and weighs 150.5—staying sleek is about being calculating. "I deny myself nothing," she says. "Some people don't eat pasta or bread or sweets ever. I love those foods too much. So for the most part, I eat healthy, but if I go to a party or on vacation, I'm going to enjoy it; then I work extra hard to get back to where I was." Extra hard might mean going a few days without bread or dessert, or bumping up her exercise to two sessions a day. "I've learned that when you gain weight quickly," she says, "you can lose it quickly."

The other factor is exercise—an hour a day, six days a week—basically the routine Karas gave her (see above). Not that she loves it, because she doesn't, but "to look the way I want to look," she says, "it's a necessity."