Started on 21 February, 2012...

In a nutshell:

Joined the Army at the ripe age of 17. When I enlisted, I weighed in at 176lbs at a height of 5'9". By the time I had finished basic and advanced training and had PCS'd to my first unit, I weighed in at 143lbs and had stayed there (until I met my then girlfriend, now wife of 10+ years).

She got pregnant, and I gained that coveted sympathy weight (all 26lbs of it). I then proceeded to gaining additional weight, and got out of the Army after 4 years at 171lbs. It's been on the steady INCLINE since, and now at the age about 30 (next month), I step on a scale and discover I'm at 225lbs. It's no wonder I feel horrible, and everything hurts. My body has been telling me to knock it off because it's not used to this abuse. I've been pretty consistently weighing in at 215lbs for the past several months, but this increase of 10lbs in 4 weeks has scared me to death. I quit smoking 4 weeks ago, so my excuse is "Everyone gains weight when they quit.", but that's no excuse. I also drank quite a bit, not to the point of people asking if I were an alcoholic, but I could definitely throw back some beer/liquor. In addition, I LOVE soda and chocolate. Who doesn't?!

Anyway, as of 21 February, I'm on a strict 1640/day caloric intake, and plan to bust out the running shoes and PT's tomorrow, 25 February 2012. I've got everything to gain and nothing to lose. Family illness (diabetes, blood pressure, cancers, heart problems, etc.) runs rampant in my family, so I'm not going to give the Grim Reaper an early gift.

The goal is to drop to 180lbs in 20 weeks. That's 45lbs. The eventual goal will be to drop down to 165lbs, but initial goals are more aggressive to cut the proverbial fat.

Anyhow, as of this morning, the scale put me at 219.7lbs. I've never loved fruits and salads more than I do now :-)