299

I looked at the number again.

I was one pound away from 300.

Something had to change.

I had tried to use the gym at work, but with a 12-hour day and a 4 a.m. alarm, rising an hour early to work out wasn't happening. Warm beds are difficult to leave at three in the morning.

So I brought workout clothes with me in order to hit the gym after work. Instead, I convinced myself my time was better used behind the keyboard at home than in the gym. At the end of the day, I just went home without a second thought.

But when I looked at the scale, standing on the edge of 300 pounds, I knew I was in real danger. Heart attacks are common in my family history. So is diabetes.

It wasn't long after that I heard this episode of  EconTalk. Russ Roberts was talking with Gary Taubes, author of Good Calories, Bad Calories.

Taubes is also the author of Why We Get Fat, a book Glenn Reynolds promotes on Instapundit. I expected a good interview, but this was an eye-opener.

It would change my life.