I served 3 years in the Army 82nd Airborne Div, and 22 years in the U.S. Navy. I then retired from a major heavy equipment manufacturing company, and now I am the pastor of a small rural Nazarene church.

Update: 01 Feb 2019
I am still alive; yay! This has been one heck of a journey. I’ve learned a lot along the way, but I have found that knowledge does not do a lot for you if you don’t take advantage of what you have learned. I remained convinced for a long time that all I had to do was cut back on the volume and eventually I would lose the weight. I still suppose that there is something to that; after all, if you don’t eat enough to support 250 lbs., you will eventually lose weight. But that requires starving yourself to death if you are in your 60’s or older. I read some government studies about how when you get older, your body doesn’t process carbs like it used to, so you need to eat a diet higher in protein and lower in carbs. I’m not advocating any particular diet, but I found that the weight really began to come off if I cut out or greatly reduced the amount of simple carbs that I was eating.

Update March 5, 2021
I was able to get into my suit for my ordination interview, and was recommended unanimously. However, the gluttony demon got a hold of me and I quickly blossomed to 285 lbs, I realized that I needed to make a change. Haha; how many times have I decided that! I am pretty convinced that any diet will work short term, but I began a search for one I could live with. I bought the book”The Flexitarian Diet,” that doesn’t advocate giving up on any particular food group, but encourages eating more fruits and veggies; and it seems to be working for me so far. The real difference I see in this diet is that it seems I could actually live with this one for the next 30 or 40 years.

Update 12 April 2021: This new plan seems to be working. I’m down 27 pounds to 258.