I don't think of it as exercise anymore. I changed my head to think that this is just part of my morning like showering, brushing my teeth, etc. So everyday, I get up, get the kid up and to school, get dressed and get in the car. When I get to the track, walking 5 miles is easy!!! And I always feel great afterwards. My results are motivation enough to keep me going!! And when all else fails..........Pull out those old before photos!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck, lora

Hi Chris, How do you keep up with the protein amounts every day? Im having surgery dec 4th and this worries me already..im overwhelmed just thinking about it. Im scared i will do well with the surgery but not the food. Also, have you have any complications after the surgery?Liz , hawaii.

Chris-- WTG, and thanks for the update. I was doing great with my exercise for some time, but starting a month or 2 ago, I lost alot of my motivation. I likely need to find more activities like you that I truly enjoy. Thanks for being an inspiration. I'm now at 192, and for 6'4" I'm fine with that weight (although I wouldn't mind re-building some more muscle). Not too shabby from the 350 I was at about a year ago. I totally understand the dilemna associated with goal setting. My initial goal was 205, which was to get me down to 25 BMI. That seemed like a goal so unreachable at the time. Then when I finally passed 205, I didn't know if I even wanted to set another goal. My doctor says the normal range for my height is 155-205, so he wasn't very concerned with my losing too much weight at this point. Don't know how good I'll look if I get much skinnier than I am right now. Then again, my wife says I look great, so maybe I just have some body issues to work through. --Dave

Just two weeks after crossing under the 200 pound mark for the first time since, probably, high school, I weighed today to see that I am at 190. That is exactly one half of my weight a year ago of 380. Yay! That makes 190 lost total, and 140 since my surgery in March. I am down to a size 30 pant and a L/M shirt, depending on the cut. I first used to say that I'd be happy at 220, but I passed that. Then I set a preliminary goal of 200. Passed that. My official goal, where I want to get before having the excess removed, is 180. At the rate I'm losing (4-5 pounds a week) I expect to be there before Thanksgiving. My nutritionist and others say I may, after surgery, see numbers like 150 for myself. Wow. I'm turning out to be a little guy underneath all this fat, so I should be able to pull it off. I work out fanatically now. My hometown (Huntsville, Alabama) is abundant in outdoor activities. In the summer I biked the greenways. Now that it's cooler, I mountain hike. I love the more strenuous, straight-up-Monte-Sano trails. I'm 32 and I've never been in such good shape. Just a quick update, everyone. I wish everyone else continued success! Chris

You didn't say what kind of work-outs you prefer...but I walk on the treadmill with my ipod blasting my favorite songs. I used to read magazines the entire time, but now I read books and the time goes by much faster. I alternate between focusing on the music and reading...having kids taught me to tune out the music when I'm reading...then when a really good song comes on...I pick up the pace and focus on the song. I read about a website to download good exercise music for whatever pace you want...but can't for the life of me find it. Julie