My weight gain started when I got my first real career job. I was making money and so i had more money to spend on eating anything i liked, the office tray of candy and sweet didn't really help either. I was never a little guy but my first year at work i gained about 70lbs. Other people started to notice before I did. I started getting comments on how big i have gotten and how I must be "happy" because how i had "let myself go". I only really noticed when i went on a summer vacation with my then girlfriend. When i looked at all the pictures i had i had to admit i looked huge. That's when i really started to take notice. I became self aware of my size and my overall appearance. Being in a family in which diabetes is common it was really a scare. Something honestly clicked in my head and i became determined to lose my weight. I joined the gym and started eating right. At first my progress was slow because I was new to working out and nutrition.I started reading and doing research on the topic.I worked with a trainer for a while just mostly to pick his brain on the correct ways to do things.He and I developed a friendship and still to this day i ask him questions and get his opinion on things. What at first was a chore became something I truly enjoyed. I loved to read up on new workouts and nutrition ( and still do). When i stared to lose weight I started to get the comments i really wanted. I've gone from 265 to 185. Every part of my life has changed, this truly was a lifestyle change for me. When i found this site i became addicted to it. i come on every day and read new articles and read about people just like me. I lost all that weight and now would like to take it to the next level. I had never set an exact goal for myself other than just be better than yesterday. I am always trying to improve. I am glad i found this site because now i have another great tool to help me along the way.