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Message: <blockquote data-quote="etwsake" data-source="post: 1095970" data-attributes="member: 8663">Once again I just want to thank every one of you guys that posted here or messaged me in the last 24 hours.I am simply floored by all the positive and encouraging comments and advice.  I was feeling so down and hopeless and the idea of even starting down the path of getting healthy seemed insurmountable.  But my attitude feels like night and day compared to yesterday.  I felt utterly on my own but now I feel like I have the support of a community of men that genuinely wants me to succeed.Suits, thank you for your unbelievably generous offer and I might just take you up on it.There are obviously a lot of factors involved in me ballooning up as much as I did in such a short time.  I've definitely struggled with depression most of my life.  I used to bury it with alcohol but I managed to give that up.  I don't think it's environmental.  My mental state and anxiety is not a result of living in Japan; it follows me wherever I go.  I've put off dealing with it head on all these years but I think I might be at the point where I'll need to seek professional help cause sometimes I get into "funks" that last for weeks or months that I don't just "snap out of."I actually love living here, despite not being a fluent speaker.  I live within an hour of Tokyo, and I have a solid core of close friends (non-Japanese) that I can really rely on.  I never get bummed out about feeling like an "outsider" or anything like that.  In fact, I think that's one of the reasons I like living here so much.But CascadeCombo hit the nail on the head:  it's very very easy to just slip into isolation here, and it's destructive.  There are 24 hour convenient stores on every block.  I used to go at 2AM and get whiskey, now if I bury my feelings by eating.  Load up on all that high calorie processed shit and within minutes I'm back in my room, in front of the TV, eating a day and a half's worth of calories.  (And yeah, I would pig out on the baum cakes...especially the chocolate covered ones.)Despite tipping the scales at 300 pounds, I'm not an invalid yet.  All the fat seems to be sitting right on my gut and man-tits and ass. I still ride my bicycle everywhere, and I can still walk all over the place.  I lift too, but nothing extreme.  I don't/can't run, but I can still move, so I'll be walking and biking every day, and lifting every other day.I'm going to repeat that mantra "If you don't buy it, you can't eat it."  I need to remind myself of that.  All the late night bags of chocolate didn't magically appear.  I had to leave my room specifically to get it and bring it back.  No more of that.As of today I'm eating as clean as I can.  I bought broccoli and boneless skinless chicken breast for dinner.  I'm gonna sift through all the responses and figure out the best eating plan to maximize fat burn.  The only good thing about being as fat as I am is that the first 15 pounds or so should come off quickly if I can stick with it for a few weeks.  Once I see some results, hopefully that will keep me motivated and honest.  One habit I already have is only drinking water and tea.  I cut out all sugary drinks a long time ago and don't miss them.  Unfortunately, I replaced them with sugary solids, so that's my next challenge.A year ago I was on the right track, and I thought I'd be in the best shape of my life as I turned 40.  Then I blew it.  There's no way I'll reach that goal now.  But I still want to reach that state even if it takes me til I'm 41 or 42.But I'm getting ahead of myself...like any addict I need to take it a day at a time.  At least I can say today is Day One now.Gentlemen....my sincere thanks.</blockquote>

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