Heya everyone

Samuraiko

Here I am, gritting my teeth and trying this weight loss/healthy living thing (again). My last effort was a doctor-monitored diet five years ago that worked great until I went off it and realized I knew nothing about maintenance, and boom, it all came back and then some.

But I heard a lot of good things about MFP, and I liked what I saw when I checked it out for myself, so here I am. Not yet been cleared by a doctor for exercise (though the in-depth medical checks I had at 5 years ago and again at 1 year ago both came back clean), so for the moment, the focus is on diet and healthy eating. I've not had soda since Sept 29th (this is a MAJOR thing for me, let me tell you), and am making a concerted effort to do right this time.

So at 39 (almost to 40, woohoo!), 5'8" and 312.2 lbs, it's time for what my friends and I have come to call the "Koverhaul."

My target weight is 175lbs - a decent figure (haha) for me, since I've a medium-large frame and well, call it like it is, a pretty nice rack. Once I hit 175, from there I'll re-assess in 5-lb increments. (Hard cap, though, is 150.) And I'm HOPING but not expecting to hit this goal (or as close as I can) before mid-July, when it's off to Ontario and partying with friends at ConBravo.

If anyone's got tips or tricks for motivation, suggestions for baby-steps exercising, or success stories if your origins were like mine, feel free to share.

Thanks in advance!