Hi, I'm John.

Hi Everyone.

I've gained and lost over the the past fifteen years or so (and of course each time I gain more than I lost). Two factors have come together to really motivate me to lose the weight sensibly and permanently this time: my age (I'm cruising into middle age where weight-related health problems start becoming impossible to ignore) and our Biggest Loser contest at work. After 4 weeks of the contest I've lost 12.5 pounds, and my goal is to lose a total of 100. As you can see I have a long way to go.

The good news is that my attitude has changed from "I should lose weight" to "I am going to lose weight" - a small but important distinction. In the past I counted calories, and my daily calorie intake was all that mattered even if it was from candy. Now I'm working on eating a balanced diet (though I avoid thinking too hard by eating mostly vegetables with some protein and dairy every day). Harm reduction!

Even though I've only lost a few pounds so far, I feel much better just because I am eating better food. I'm very excited about this site because I hope it will help me stay on track and help others do the same.

Cheers!