Hi everyone, I'm new here and sorry for not introducing myself earlier its been a crazy few weeks...

A bit about me:
46yo 5’10” male, looking to lose weight for good, the goal would be 170-180# range. I have been fat all my life, beginning in middle school I have always been over 200#. I have never been a jock or sports enthusiast. I have a desk job and work from home but travel for work extensively, 2-3 times a month, I am a software consultant. I am married with 2 kids (middle and elementary school) that keep us pretty busy. My wife and I have been gym buddies in the past but lining up schedules is difficult. She is thin but very supportive. In general, I would say I have a very supportive environment, no toxic enablers around me, etc.

My food:
After reading some articles on food addiction I have come to realize I am addicted to food for sure. My job is stressful and I am very much a behavioral eater. Sneaking food and binge eating is not uncommon when I am up against a deadline or stressed. Not a huge drinker of alcohol but when I do it's a double Crown Royal on the rocks. Love all forms of sugar and diet soda. When I do start a diet I typically go all in, full force, 110% for like the first 2-3 weeks, then come crashing down. I have tried all the diets and fads, keto was by far the most successful about 15 years ago, over the course of 6 months I got down to 180#, but it all came back on. Overall, I have had the most success through diets that limit types of foods, not necessarily portions. I have come to realize I need to get portions under control and gain comfort with all food types. My environment (traveling, airports, business dinners, etc.) doesn’t always lend itself to me controlling the types of foods I eat. When I am good, my eating style still leans toward keto only in that I tend to still chose proteins over carbs but it is not true keto in any way. I am also somewhat dabbling with the idea of intermittent fasting. I do realize for me that it's my nutrition that needs the most work, not the exercise. My focus now is portion control and calorie control.

My Exercise:
I enjoy the gym and exercise. I have a rower and treadmill in the basement that I try to use daily. If my knees or legs bother me, I will go for rower; if my back or arms are sore, I will do the treadmill. I chose the treadmill most often because it is also what is available in hotels, I like to see advancement either with speed or distance, I like to record and capture data/stats. Also, at home, I have an adjustable kettlebell which I am messing around with. I have a gym membership and also love to lift weights, I have always shown great progress with advancing weight and reps. My main issue with lifting weights is I just get discouraged that the scale doesn’t move. At this point my strategy is to just get the fat off and see what I am working with first and not worry about muscle development, hence I have tried to focus mostly on cardio. I feel like seeing the fat coming off faster without muscle development will do more for my mental motivation at this point. For treadmill, I am averaging 5-7 miles a day, on the rower I typically average 10,000 to 12,000 meters a day. I am slow on both and average workout on either machine is typically 1-1.5 hours. I prefer workouts be indoors, seasonal allergies have always been an issue, and when I do go out and perform activities outside (bike riding, walking, etc.) I don’t typically consider those as workouts. Something about being on a machine, sweating, heart rate measurements and seeing the stats on the machines makes me feel like I am truly doing something.

Why I am here:
I guess I am looking for friends and kindred spirits because I have a fear of disappointing the people around me (even though they have always been supportive). I just don’t feel like I can have them invest in my journey, again, for the like millionth time. But I do realize that it would be nice to have some sort of support system. Looking for people that are goal-oriented and looking to make positive lifestyle changes. I think most people are looking for someone to relate to, maybe the same situations or circumstances, maybe just the same mindset. Overall, I guess I am looking for people to check in with every few days, if not daily. Keep each other accountable, bust my chops to log food if I haven’t, if I went to the gym or not, tell me my excuses are BS.

Looking forward to connecting with you all!