I just wanted to give everyone an update. I have posted here for a good while and read the forum almost everyday. So many great people here and so many helpful ideas. I started my weight loss journey in May of 2004 after many failed attempts to lose weight. I knew I had to get healthy for my daughter and later realized I needed to do that for myself as well. I have had such an incredible journey to fitness. After 30 years of morbid obesity - I managed to lose 350 pounds with diet and exercise. I went from 562.3 down to 210 pounds. I started working out and my workout partner and I were picked as Houston's 2006 ultimate workout partners.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...e/4252719.html
Later as I continued my journey - I was picked to be in the People Magazine's 1/2 their Size issue.
http://www.people.com/people/gallery...4881_5,00.html
My life has changed in so many ways. My daughter can wrap her arms around me. I coach her soccer team. We live active lives.
I got married last year to a wonderful woman that I had the biggest crush in high school. We had graduated together 28 years ago and I sent her an e-mail. We started talking and have been very happily married for a year.
As with anyone that is my age and having been over weight as much and as long as I had - I had major issues with a lot of loose skin around my lower body. I was contacted by The Learning Channel and with them filing the whole procedure and doing lots of before and after interviews - I got a lower body lift last Thursday. I am 6 days post op and doing great. I cannot believe it - I have a lap for the first time that I can remember in 30 years! As soon as some of the swelling goes down - I will post some after pictures.
It is a major dream of mine to help as many people as I can to either avoid obesity all together - or to help anyone that is obese to get their life back. I give talks at the program that I went in that included a medically supervised diet, nutrition education as well as behavior modification.
If I can ever help anyone - please let me know.
[email protected]
On to the longest part of the journey after losing 350 pounds -
). You are my idol!!! Honestly, you are one of the individuals that I search out on here because you give me so much motivation to keep going and get the job done. After all -- if you could stick it out and lose 350 pounds -- there is absolutely no reason I can't get rid of 100!! 
