Weight loss for me is only a matter of rules and rewards. I've always had trouble doing the right things to take care of myself if I'm left alone to do it. The only way I can get myself to stick with a healthy diet and active lifestyle is by setting rules to follow and rewarding myself when I succeed in doing so.

I'm an avid golfer. I really enjoy playing, but if I go out too much I lose track of things and run into problems. So, I make a round of golf into a reward. If I can eat three healthy meals everyday for 5 days, and no junk food snacks, I reward myself with a round of golf on the weekend. The great thing about the golfing is that it's actually a chance to get out and exercise. But it isn't quite enough to keep me fit, so I also keep a workout schedule -- I work out 3 times a week at the gym for one hour each time. If I can keep at it for 2 weeks in a row, no slacking, I reward myself with one meal out at a restaurant of my choice. I actually found that doing things that way, I quickly lost interest in fast food. But let's be realistic, I probably wouldn't be able to stay with this system all on my own. I recruited my 11-year-old daughter, Ashley, for that job. She keeps watch on what I eat when I'm at home. And if I fall asleep, she makes sure I wake up in time to get to the gym. I don't always have a smile on my face when I wake up though!

I started gaining weight in my early twenties. Nothing really big -- it was a gradual thing for me. Most of my friends were gaining weight too at a similar rate to me. I figured it was a pretty normal thing. But as I got into my thirties, I was beginning to get worried. I began running out of energy much faster when I was playing with my children, and that really upset me because they were disappointed in me. My wife suggested the whole reward system, and I laughed it off. But as I tried dieting, I soon discovered that she had a really good point. There's just no way I can be trusted to do it all by myself, with no restrictions.

I've been on my new rules and rewards system for about a year and a half now, and I've lost 60 pounds, which is more than I'd even hoped for. I started at 250 pounds, and I'm now down to 190. I feel much healthier, and my family is very proud of me.