I had a lot of injuries when i was a teenager. Through a series of sprains, twists and breaks, I've developed bad ankles. Additionally, I've been working in an office, full time, since I was a teenager too. Over half my life, I've had a 40 hour job, working in front of a computer. I have lived a very sedentary life since my 20s. And the weight shows. Having used my ankles as excuses, and often putting my job over my own health, I had conceded myself that I'd just be a fatter guy. An easy thing to think while I had the health luxury of my 20s. And an easier thing to do than actually making changes.

I had gone on a trip to Disneyland with my girlfriend, and it was a wake up call. Unflattering pictures, struggling to buckle myself on the airplane, the weight of walking on my bad ankles, I knew it was time for a life change.

My girlfriend and I made an agreement that we'd start when we got back from Disneyland. But knowing how hard it is to keep on track, we put in some incentives: For every 10 lbs lost, the other pays $50 towards our next trip.

My starting goal is to lose 100 lbs. I'll probably need to lose more, but it seems so far away, at least, it did.

We started 7 weeks ago, on September 21st, and as of this morning, i reached two milestones. For the first time in several years, I'm under 300 lbs. And I'll have $150 bucks towards our next trip, as I've now lost 30 lbs as well. Between my girlfriend and myself, we have lost over 45 lbs.

My job still dictates a fairly sedentary life, and most of my hobbies don't include moving around too much. But when I have 15 minutes to spare, I don't just waste them sitting anymore. Just moving, and doing something is better than that.

We're doing a bit of a weight watchers inspired system. Counting calories, fixing our own meals, and making a few caloric exceptions for most fruits and vegetables, and lots of water, to help stem any hunger. Personally, I am eating between 1300 and 1500 calories per day. Never going below 1300. We eat 3 main, but very modest meals, and have snacks 2-3 times a day, in between. I've found that for me to operate at such low caloric levels on the day also requires a more frequent caloric intake too throughout the day. 80-200 calories for snacks, 300-400 calories for meals. Don't skip any.

We log all our foods in MyFitnessPal. I try not to let a single calorie go uncounted.

On Day 2, I bought a Fitbit Aria scale, and there hasn't been a day I haven't weighed myself. It's all part of my morning ritual. Similar time and similar situations. (After using the restroom, but before taking a shower). And while I don't put 100% stock in the Body Fat %, it's still useful enough, and it can be very encouraging when weight doesn't fluctuate even a tenth-of-one-pound, but it does a tenth of one percent body fat.

About 10 days in, I decided to get a Fitbit Flex as well. I am now wishing I got the Fitbit Charge for the clock and Autosleep Detection, and longer battery life. But I'm still happy with it. When I first got it, I had to use the largest band at the largest fitting. It's great when I go to put it on, and I have to tighten it up another notch.

About two weeks ago, I got a digital food scale, and that's just a wonderful help. Now measuring things like cereal, chicken, cheese - it's real nice. It helps to know I can count calories with confidence.

Overall, a big thing reason why I've had success is that I haven't been just trying to change my life, but I've been trying to adapt it. I use to go to places like Taco Bell all the time, and I still go there often enough. But instead of getting two bean burritos, a cheesy gordita crunch, and a drink, I get two Fresco chicken soft tacos and a water. 280 calories, it has good lean protein, and it is under $4. Wendy's Grilled Chicken Go Wrap (250 calories) and side salad (25 calories) with their pomegranate balsamic dressing (70 calories) is another good fast-food option.

Sushi is another savior for me, but that's also tricky. Rule 1: No Nigiri. Loaded with carby rice and often other high caloric things. Rule 2: No spicy. Sushi uses that delicious spicy sauce, but it is mayo based and really amps up the calories. Rule 3: No Tempura. That crunch great, but it goes by so fast and it isn't worth the gain I'll make. Rule 4: No eel. It's sweet and delicious. And unlike many of it's sea-bound friends, it's pretty high in calories.

So I stick with Salmon and Yellowfin Tuna Sashimi, peas and some fruit. I can usually walk out of my local sushi bar, spending less than 400 calories and under $5.

FiberOne 90 Calorie bars are good, but I make sure not to overindulge either. I also keep a fair amount of "ready-to-eat" snacks that fall within that same caloric range (50-120 calories).

And in those long days at the office, or busy days that make it tough to really prepare a meal, I have a few standby LeanPockets, Weight Watchers Smart Ones frozen dinners, Green Giant Vegetable Packs. I work to make sure they aren't my go-to meal, but in the days where you don't want to spend any time, it's a life saver.

Overall, I keep what I'm eating, calorically (Including macros) at the front of my mind throughout the day. It's as much a part of my day-to-day life as showering, driving, and being on reddit.

I've got a long ways to go. When I started, that 100 lbs seemed so far away, but I'm over a quarter of the way there, and not even a quarter of a year has passed.