I am in my 30's and my health is not good.  I am pre-diabetic, have a fatty liver, and am morbidly obese.  Right after high school I was muscular and weighed 185 lbs.  I am starting this competition at over 100 lbs over that weight(which is my goal weight).  I work in a call center.  I can personally attest that sitting in a cubicle 10 hours a day does not make for a healthy person unless you take ownership of your lifestyle.  When I was younger I excersized and played sports like crazy.  I ate whatever I wanted.  This does not work anymore--if your metabolism has slowed down, the very very most important thing is how much and what you eat.  I do excersize every day now for the last month or so, but, mathematically, losing weight seems to me to be more about the diet than anything else.  So now I am eating healthy and counting my calories.  So how did this happen?  I'll tell you.  I'm a guy that can eat a whole pizza.  I can eat a package of cookies in one sitting.  I have devoured endless pints of ice cream.  I've lived like every meal is my last meal.  If I keep living like that, one of these days it might be true.  Food is as addictive as any drug--and you can't simply go cold turkey to quit(on a side note--cold turkey is a great protein choice!)  I have rewarded myself with food for as long as I can remember.  I have to mentally change--food is for nutrition, not for pleasure.  Things can taste good, but only through accountability can I really keep my weight down.  I have to know how many calories that a piece of cake has so I can make an informed decision if its worth the cost.  I don't know if this blog message is for me or for you but lets all lose weight together!