Hey all. It's my first time posting to this thread but hopefully the beginning of of regular contributions. I can't begin to describe how encouraging it is to see everyone share their stories. My goal is to use this thread not only as a source of information and encouragement but also as a medium for accountability. I can only hope that I return as much of those things as I receive. I'm Sean and I'm about 120 pounds over what a 32 year old male who is 5'5" should weigh. I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and my knees ache most days of the week. Something has to give, and I'd rather that something not be my heart, joints, etc. I'm considering switching to a mostly plant-based diet along the lines of what people like Joel Fuhrman and Ray Cronise prescribe. That would represent a massive change in my lifestyle, but my situation requires a dramatic amount of weight loss. My plan is to make this change when I'm fully prepared (gathered information, tried recipes, consulted with my physician) which I estimate to be about 10 weeks from now. Between now and then I have several major life events happening that I know will sabotage me if I commit any earlier (wedding ~4 weeks out, moving ~6 weeks out, start new job ~ 8 weeks out). From now until that point I'm going to make healthier decisions and try and be as active as possible. It's simply all I have to give at the moment. I want to preemptively thank everyone for being what I'm sure will be the kind of community I need not only right now but moving forward as well.