[notfarnow]

A couple years ago someone showed me pictures from their housewarming party. There I was with my big, fat face. It was an eye opener, I didn't see myself that way. I was almost pissed that my wife hadn't said "hey Jake, yer gettin fat".

Within a year, I lost ~25 lbs without any MAJOR lifestyle changes.

1) As soon as I said I wanted to lose weight, my wife started packing my lunches. My wife is a very healthy eater, which made it very easy to eat better. Healthy stuff like vegetable stews, brown rice etc.

2) I tried the gym a couple times but I hated it. I started walking the stairs at work instead of using the escalator. Did that twice a day. I'm on the 19th floor, so that is a good 8-10 minutes twice a day.

3) I'm like Z-man... I am a stress eater. Stress is not optional at my job, so the best thing I can do is have snacks around that aren't crap. cheese & crackers, apples, yogurt. Mrs Notfarnow packs 'em with my lunch.

It took about 9 months for me to lose the weight, but I never really felt like I was "on a mission" or anything. I've maintained my "new" weight (178 lbs) within 5lbs ever since. I still eat crap when I want, but it's the day to day stuff that really made the difference over time.

Pretty amazing how different I feel too. Pick up a backpack with 25lbs... it's surprising!