You Guys are Awesome!!!
Now I am motivated more than ever to keep trying. 
 
The diet thing will be much harder.  I did just turn down a corn chip though.  Sometimes I eat just to be doing something.
 
I love the stories, and it is great to see the pictures too!
 
Thanks for the news!
 
Jesse Q. Screed

Hi,
 
I went from 285 to 245 in 6 months ... and then in the next year gained it all back ... and I will be starting it all up and going back down, and this time the goal is around 225, or less, so I can get back on the tennis court again ... I waddle too much at 245/250 and my playing weight used to be around 210 for my 6ft frame.
 
It's not difficult ... but the continuity is the issue ... I lost that amount, and then had some serious blood pressure and stress issues that did not help with sleep and rest and the weight went right on back up ... and now after the changes this weekend, it will be time to relax and get the weight under control again.
 
As an example, I was in bed yesterday all day from 1PM to about 8PM, then back to bed at 10 to get up at 5AM ... had what appeared to be a cold/flu ... that finally went away around 8PM with the stomach going all sick and crazy for that whole time, but I stayed in bed! Hopefully it will be easier as time goes by!

Here's a fuzzy snap taken by the foster on the day I adopted Ollie (the Italian Greyhuahua) 4 years ago. My other dog, Sparky, is a poodle/jack russell.
 

 
Edit: Here's a very effective weight loss tip that I highly recommend you DO NOT follow: spend a year going through a divorce. I was just starting to get my weight back up in that photo. I wasn't eating or sleeping and got down to 130 lbs. That's when I took the ring off and fired my ex. Took me 6 months to get back up to 140.

Guitarhacker
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
Great pic!

While RobbyK is walking a bass line on his E string... 

Even four-five times 45 minute intense training doesn't cut your weight, if you're not carefull with what you eat, because intensive training does not burn fat. More likely it leads to excessive meals after the sessions.
AFAIK, the most effective exercises for losing weight are long walks/slow jogging with pulse below 120. When pulse goes over 120 approx. you start using short term energy instead of your bodys restored resources.  But that takes time, three times a week at least one hour. Blaah.

Kalle Rantaaho
Even four-five times 45 minute intense training doesn't cut your weight, if you're not carefull with what you eat, because intensive training does not burn fat. More likely it leads to excessive meals after the sessions.
AFAIK, the most effective exercises for losing weight are long walks/slow jogging with pulse below 120. When pulse goes over 120 approx. you start using short term energy instead of your bodys restored resources.  But that takes time, three times a week at least one hour. Blaah.

That's what I'm hoping dog walks will address in the long run (walk?).  There is no doubt that my cardio health has improved tremendously though.  And blood chemistry has also improved by a large margin.
 
I forget to mention earlier that my "studio" is on the lower level, so add ~20 round trips down/up the stairs to my regimen

Kalle Rantaaho
Even four-five times 45 minute intense training doesn't cut your weight, if you're not carefull with what you eat, because intensive training does not burn fat. More likely it leads to excessive meals after the sessions.
AFAIK, the most effective exercises for losing weight are long walks/slow jogging with pulse below 120. When pulse goes over 120 approx. you start using short term energy instead of your bodys restored resources.  But that takes time, three times a week at least one hour. Blaah.

Apparently the "fat burning zone" is a myth:

http://www.active.com/tri...f-the-fat-burning-zone

I have to say from my experience I agree - the most impressive weight loss I ever made was by doing intensive interval training. I would get on the elliptical, do a 3 minute warm up and then do 20 minutes of 60 second flat out followed by 30 seconds of rest. During the 60 seconds I would push myself to the absolute limit (to the point where the last 10 seconds felt like the longest 10 seconds of my life). I was quite fit to start with but had gained a few extra pounds. Not recommended if you have a weak heart, and it's best to start off with a gentler ratio (e.g. 30 seconds flat out then 60 seconds rest), but I lost a solid 10lbs in a month. And that was despite having gained muscle mass (especially in the legs).

The only problem with intense interval workouts is that they can make you look forward to the gym a little less - I got to the point where I really had to force myself to go because it was just 20 minutes of what felt like hell. I have to say though, you feel absolutely amazing later :)

Here's another link which explains the fat burning myth very well and also talks about the "afterburn effect" - the fact that the body continues to burn calories long after an intense workout, something which doesn't happen after a low intensity workout.

http://www.builtlean.com/...fat-burning-zone-myth/

Thanks James.  I'm going to incorporate some interval stuff and see what happens.