Time to introduce myself

I'm 41 - very nearly 42 , male, and my BMI is 26.  I weigh 183 pounds.

I served in the British Army for about fifteen years (where my weight was maintained with a lot of regular exercise - whether I wanted it or not!)  and got out in 2004.  On my last day of service, my weight was 187 pounds. Six months after that I'd gained 24 pounds and from there it only got worse, even though I spent months on Slimming World and hours spent trying to shed weight by jogging and starving myself.

Last November I weighed 223 pounds. So, I decided to go "on a diet" (as you do) Mainly because I was running out of shirts that still fit me, and my floor boards were wearing out.

I did pretty well on the old low fat /high exercise thing.  After Christmas I lost about ten pounds in a month, mainly by under-eating and working out like a thing possessed.  By the end of the month I didn't have the energy to tie my own laces.

So, I picked up an audio copy of "why we get fat" by Gary Taubes, and listened to during the week on my hour-long drive to work and back. And then I listened to it again.  And then a third time.

And that was that. To quote Douglas Adams on Chaos Theory - It felt like I'd been in a dark room and suddenly found the light switch. My life changed beyond all recognition a couple of days after Valentine's Day.

Now, I might still be over weight, but the fat is coming off me at the rate of about three pounds a month.  I'm easily twice as active as I was six months ago, and I feel fantastic.  My jeans were a 40" waste (which was a tight fit) and now my new 36" pair feel a little loose.

This afternoon I've spent three hours digging foundations for some new garden walls, and this evening I've been out on my favourite 4 mile circuit, which I've finished in 44 minutes (5 minutes faster than last month)

I'm not slim.  I'm not super fit and I'm not a diet expert. I'm just a hard working bloke who's trying to help other people to make the same switch I did.

And I have a message:  Give up sugar.

Even if you still smoke.  Give up the sugar first.  Everything else will fall into place.

Oh- and start reading up.  Educate yourself!  Click this link for a reading list I posted on Low Carb Site.  Consider joining that forum too. (it's free) You'll find great support there once you change your diet.