guy noob - where's my metabolism?!

Hello there, I'm brand-spanking new here! 

I'm  your typical guy, mid 30s who lost his high metabolism a few years back and didn't adjust accordingly.  Between that and having a family + 2 hrs commuting per day (little time for strenuous hiking/biking like I used to) and bad habits (not enough sleep, WAY TOO MANY sweets), I've gained about 30 pound over the last 4 years.

Most people don't think I'm overweight, but it's all on my waist; I'm just overall not as fit as I used to be.  For example, I can't squat after I eat (or over-eat) or I feel like I'm going to puke.  Yeah, I gotz a budda-belly.

Gorging on sweets is my weakness.  If I buy a candy bar from the vending machine, I end up buying 3 or 4.  I'm just a roller coaster of starting to eat healthy and then falling off the wagon.

Once, I stopped eating anything with refined sugar or high fructose corn syrup for 2 weeks.  I lost down to 147 pounds without trying!!!!  Of course, that was over 4 years ago and I'm probably not as active now.

OK, enough rambling.  I'm at 182 pounds and want to get near 150.  Not that I care about a number (at all), I just want to fit back into some smaller clothes, feel healthy, and look healthy.

Nice to meet you!  Wish me luck!

Good luck with your weight loss!

You should try cutting out refined sugar and HFCS again! Especially if you have problems limiting your sweets. I really should do it too...

Try and do more fun active things with your family on the weekend, even if it's just a walk around the park or your neigborhood.

Yeah, the kids will be 3 and 5 next month so they're old enough they can accompany us now.  Last week we went on a 1.2 mile strenuous hike with the kids (they did great!) and another 1 mile easy hike the next day.  The wife and I have done walking now and then in our neighborhood (3-4 miles in an evening) but a busy life is getting in the way.

Lately I've been walking at work about every day and taking stairs.  I was up to walking 17 flights of stairs but I suddenly got some VERY bad headaches with exercise and I'm going to a neurologist to figure that out.  They're not consistent (I might walk 1 flight and feel like I'm going to die, but later walk 20 flights and be fine *shrug*).

Thanks for the note!

BTW, my username is from my car (pictured in my avatar).  A low, black, Subaru Forester.  Turns lots of heads on the course!