hey I have been in the same situation as you for as long as I can remember. your dad isn't wrong you know, walking and jogging helps a lot! Of course,I live in a tropical country,so the weather is always good here, I go jogging at least three times a week and I love it...I love everything about exercise, even the muscle pains the next day,lol (it actually feels like a reward for working hard, means you got muscles at work) I'm also trying a new diet which is called weigh less and really works magic...its not like those no-carb diet, its much closer to being realistic.. finally, did you know that it has been scientifically proven that unless diets are accompanied by regular exercises, you actually gain a lot more than the initial weigh loss when you quit the diet... think about it ;p