Hi all!

Hello everyone! I wanted to share my journey so far. I started at 250 lbs, and I've carried that weight for years. The last time I made a run at getting healthy, I gave up soda and started eating microwaveable meals instead of fast food. I was at a job doing heavy lifting and walking constantly, and managed to get down to 225 before I started going off course and justifying foods I knew were no good.
Now, I'm at a desk job, highly sedentary. I'd sit all day at work, and then go home and play video games until it was time to sleep. In the last couple of years, I've lost two friends to heart disease. I remember hearing one of them tell me about how he was getting tired all the time, and then I noticed I was getting fatigued just walking around the store, shopping. My ankles and knees hurt, and I was tired of looking at myself in the mirror.
Two months ago, I found a pair of top-of-the-line K2 inline skates at Goodwill for 10$. I couldn't pass them up. I have fond memories of skating around town as a kid, so I figured it would be entertaining and good for fitness. I started off with a mile a night, with 5 miles a week as my goal. Gradually, as my ankles and legs built up strength, I started to do 3 miles a night. Now I'm up to 5 miles a night, 6 nights a week, and I feel fantastic about it.
After a health screening at work, I found that my health markers are actually MUCH better than I thought they'd be. I was expecting hypertension, diabetes, and the usual stern warnings that have kept me from seeing a doctor for years. To my elation, my blood pressure was only slightly elevated at 5 points above normal, and my blood sugar and cholesterol were in the normal range. The only challenge was getting my HDL cholesterol up and my LDL cholesterol down. I started to change my diet to include more salmon and avocado, and decided to track my calories on MyFitnessPal. It was eye opening to say the least. At first, I was upset at how much I was consuming. I started cutting back, trying to find ways to lower my intake and logging the results all the way. Now, I'm at a point where I can't believe how much I can eat in a day and still not hit 2000 calories. I'm still having issues with too much sodium in my diet, but I'm getting good at hitting my protein targets.

***SOAPBOX MOMENT***
I was taken aback, however, when I entered my exercise into MyFitnessPal. It started telling me that I needed 3500 calories if I was skating for an hour. It told me I had "earned" 1500 bonus calories. After a bit of research, I found that advice to be totally bogus and counterproductive. I haven't earned the right to eat more food. By keeping my caloric intake around 2000 and skating an hour each evening, I've been losing an average of 2.5 lbs a week. I can't imagine what that would look like if I started scarfing 2 lbs of chicken breast or resorting to fast food fillers or baked goods to hit that calories goal.

My last weigh-in was yesterday, and I am now down to 230 lbs and still dropping. Reduced calorie intake, increased activity...it has worked well for me. Good luck on all your own journeys!