Hello Everyone, my name's Mike.

Hello All,

My name is Mike. I am new here. I have a long history of yo yo weight patterns. I am at just about the heaviest I have ever been and I am tired of it. I am here to change. I am here to get serious. Sad to say, I feel I need to be held accountable. This is new for me as I have never been in the position of having to be held accountable before. I have always been in positions where folks were accountable to me.....starting with lead positions in the Air Force and continuing in civilian life as a manager/director at all positions after the Air Force.

But, as time has gone by, I find that I have let my body down. I have always lifted on and off. I currently sit at approximately 34 percent body fat at approximately 295 pounds (approximately because I have made the mistake of weighing myself every single day and watching the scale go up and down....though not below 285 for about 2 years now). I do not believe in the BMI because if you go by my current LBM (~195 pounds), and if I were at 0 percent body fat (an impossibility as you need a minimum of 2% body fat to sustain life....depending on what publication you read), I would still be at a BMI of 31.5.....obese, according to the BMI index. Therefore, it is not weight I am trying to lose, but rather, fat. More than having a goal in pounds, I am shooting for a goal of approximately 8-10 percent body fat. I am trying to not go below a LBM of 180 to 185 pounds.

I find that this was a lot easier when I was 19, 29, and 39. However, it is seemingly harder at 49. Not only that, but surprise of surprises, I measured my height yesterday and it seems I have shrunk about 1 and 1/2 inch since I was 20.

They say that one is more likely to succeed in this endeavor with support from others. I must admit, I have pretty much never asked for help in just about anything. My Dad was military, my Mom was military, I was military, and yup, a whole lot of emphasis on and pride in being self sufficient has come with my lifestyle.

So, without further ado, I hesitatingly am asking your opinions.......and your help. Do you think it really is a key factor in losing the fat......community support that is? If so, well, this is the first time I am going to ask for help in my endeavor to lose fat. If you believe it is important, I would humbly request that you would help me......to hold me accountable......in this endeavor.

I have read quite a few of your stories and I have to admit, I admire a lot of you folks. A lot of you have accomplished so much. Your stories, your efforts, your results, your before and after pics...........all very inspirational.

Thank you for letting me take up a little of your time. Thank you for taking the time to read a little of my story. Please, let me know if you would like to help me. I do appreciate your time and your thoughts. I have nobody I know with whom I can share this endeavor. My wife is a wonderful lady but I have 'cried wolf' so many times she doesn't know what to believe anymore.....and that is my fault. I need to rebuild that trust to where when I say I am going to do something, she automatically believes it will get done.....just because I said so.

So, again, thank you.

Take Care,

Mike