Hi,

I have been on this for a couple of weeks and have learned quite a bit about what I am eating and where my calories are really going. It truly is amazing how much you really can eat if you stay away from crap.

My initial goal (meaning the first couple weeks) is being more aware of what I eat and the calorie costs involved. I really like this website because it 's the first that I have seen that really has an exhaustive food database. We have alot of choices here in chicago. A lot of great restaurants. It is helpful to know what are my best choices.

Some things about my life. I am a 36 year-old married man in chicago. I have been overweight pretty much all of my life. This isnt the first time I have tried to take it off but the first time I have been serious about examining what I eat and what my excersize activity is.

The roll of food in my life is something I would like to explore and will probably discuss more on this journal. I come from a family of overweight people. My weight has been an issue for me emotionally, spiritually, and phyisically (I am a diabetic). My wife tells me that I eat extremely fast and I wonder what that's about. In short, I am sure that this exploration, if I am persistant with it, will be as much an emotional and spiritual awakening as well as phyisical improvement.

I am an avid cyclist - especially as a commuter - and I have a goal of getting to a point where I bike to work every day (about 13 miles round trip). For me this is more than a means of excersize. It's a political statement, a sisterhood/brotherhood that I feel a part of and a whole lot of fun.