Welcome!

Wuz up!

My name is Harold, I live in Manassas, VA and have lost about 88 pounds in 18 months through diet and exercise. I've started running 5K races and have completely cut out fast food. I've haven't had fast food since January 15, 2008. I used to weigh 353, now I weight 265. My final goal is 225 and if I'm not happy with that, even lower. I'm 6'4 1/2" and 32 years old.

How do I define fast food? Any place with a drive-thru is off limits.

Right, right but how have you done it????????

I have thought about this for a long time, and I have finally figured it out:

With rare exceptions, I no longer get excited about eating! I eat @ Subway almost everyday for lunch and sometimes dinner too. I have a cycle of about five or six different ones that I consume. I used to think about and anticipate that Whopper, that steak, that McDonald's. No longer!!!!

Now, I think of food as strictly fuel. I control it, it does not control me! I only eat because if I did not, I would eventually die. Now, every now and again, if I'm going to a BBQ or if my mother in law has made her yellow cake with chocolate frosting, then I get excited, but only mildly so. I have only one small burger, one piece of cake. I never allow myself to give up that control!

Typical diet in a day in the life of Harold:

Breakfast (eaten over a few hours from 9am-1pm)

Three of four "Zone Perfect" bars. http://zoneperfect.com/products
Two or three diet sodas

Lunch

One Subway six inch sub on wheat bread with no dressing or a small dab of yellow mustard.
Lite and Fit Yogurt

Snack

One or two Hundred Calorie Packs

Dinner

Subway (same as lunch) or a sensible dinner my wife cooks.

On days that I know I am going to run, I'll have a little more; maybe a couple more hundred calorie packs, etc.

I'll be posting lots of things moving forward, Losing weight has changed my life! I love this lifestyle! I feel great!