I am generally camera shy. On our 2005 Caribbean vacation, I was forced to pose for a shot!

So a little about me, Doug.

    I am a mid forties male, who has a family, and a self employed contractor, jack of all trades. I was always active, and although I had very poor eating habits, I was very active and able to burn off excess calories by vigorous exercise. This changed about ten years ago, with the onset of a less than typical rheumatoid arthritis. Like what has happened to many people, this had a massive impact on my life and ability to do day to day activities. Coupled with that, I also had a developing case of asthma, which was less than complementary to my complicating health problems. Being overweight, and having these other health issues to deal with, was definitely not a good thing!

I was determined to once and for all lose weight and get back to being healthy. I never looked in a mirror and saw myself as being fat. In January of 2001, I started making mental notes and plans as how I was going to go about losing weight. I peaked out at 230 lbs at this time, which was more than I had ever weighed before.

In April of 2001, I started implementing my permanent weight loss plan. Having reached my target weight has had a lot of benefits. It's obviously been easier on my knees and hips. I have a much better energy level. The healthier eating habits have had a major beneficial impact on my arthritis, as my body is chemically healthier by limiting problematic foods that were abundant in my diet before April 2001.