I'm 48 years old, 6' tall, started at 298 a few days ago (297 now: whoop!). Plan is to lose 100 pounds in 16 months, ultimate target weight being 189. Breaking it down like this:

- have written out weakly weight targets through June of 2011
- have set some rewards for various milestones along the way (the better to encourage me by)
- Nutrition: minimize any and all sugars, fried foods, oily foods, high-fat meats; eat a variety of healthy choices so I don't get bored; mix in fresh fruits and veggies; enjoy reasonable amounts of healthy fats (avacado, hummus...); allow myself a "whatever" meal each week if I want, so I don't feel that I am deprived
- Exercise: starting a program called "G.U.T.S.", which is a daily 24 minutes of several types of strengthening calisthenics and cardio motions, and apparently is a tremendous foundation for fitness; just stay active more and up off my can
- Outlook: just stay in the positive and remain committed to a long-term healthy life, i.e. not looking at this as a temporary diet or fix.

I plan to check in with this forum a lot to keep myself grounded and inspired.

Just looking for a little feedback (and possibly a few mad props).

Your goal is certainly within reach. I know, because I lost 46 lbs in the past 4 months.

There are many militantly opinionated viewpoints on the subject lurking around, and I'm sure they will chime in and attempt to discredit me, but I will tell you how I did it and you can use it if you like.

What did I do? I stopped eating all forms of grains (everything that is made with any form of grain), as well as potatoes. I increased intake of fat and protein. Yes, you read it right, I INCREASED my fat intake (more than tripled it). With this in mind, I have restricted myself to about 1100 kcal daily for 4 months already. I have not been hungry at all, either, because my body is in nearly constant ketosis. "Ketosis shuts down appetite because you're living off your own fat stores." I jump out of ketosis 1-2 days a week, e.g. eat and drink about 3000-4000 kcal per day (maybe even a grain or two in there)

If you continue to eat grains and starches, your appetite will not be shut down and you will feel starved on 1100 kcal a day. This is because your insulin levels will be unmanaged. Manage your insulin to a bare minimum level by going off grains and starches, and you will get all the extra energy you need in addition to the 1100 kcal per day, because you will be accessing and burning large reserves of stored fat to make up the difference. You won't feel physically hungry, but if you still have urges to constantly eat then you will know that it is psychological and not physiological.

It's really that simple, that effective, and that fast.

Hey there. It sounds like you have a very reasonable plan going. I think your goals are quite reachable and if you can keep the positive attitude, you'll do well!

My suggestion would be to register for a free account with a site like fitday.com or thedailyplate.com and start logging your food. That will help you to see where your calories are falling each day, but also to track your various nutrients to make sure you get enough protein, fats, carbs, etc.

Also as far as exercise, be sure and check out the sticky posts in the exercise forum. There are some excellent posts on weight lifting written by Steve that will give you a ton of good info on how to maintain muscle while losing weight (something that is important as it gives that lean "fit" or "toned" look that most people want when they lose weight).

Good luck to you.