I think I spend too much time reading e-books.....

Second this. Big fan of Ubiquiti tech. Steeper learning curve, but great bang for the buck.

I love books. I love reading. I'm also the first to admit that a lot of what I read is crap (Science Fiction and Fantasy) but the mileage varies. At last count, since acquiring my iPod touch (with the "Bookshelf" app), followed by and iPhone (with the "Kindle" app) and most recently the iPad (again with "Kindle" - I finally gave in for the larger format) I've read about 300 e-Books in the last 3 years. Yes, it felt a little weird for a while, particularly on the small screen devices, but that didn't take long to get past.Meanwhile the convenience is/was totally addictive! Now I can find pretty much anything I want, anytime I want it. I never get caught short with nothing to read (well, once in a U.S. Embassy that wouldn't allow *any* electronic devices, but that's a different story). The only time I *have* to have a physical book is taking off and landing on airplanes, and hopefully they'll wise up soon, but I don't have to pack a dozen books to take away for a fortnight. Don't get me wrong, I still love reading "real" books, and I still browse bookstores when I get the time - but after having bought (and subsequently given away) something like 2,000 paperbacks over the previous 15years, I mostly only buy hard cover editions of a few authors any more. I'll sometimes be buying the e-Version of stuff while I'm standing at the bookshelf.

A million comments and viewpoints, so I couldn't help throwing mine into the mix. While not an adherent of the Hackers Diet per se, it articulates the same principles that I beleive.

I've lost 80lbs in the six months from May to October this year, from 320 down to 240. I anticipate being around 200lbs by January 1. I limit my calorie intake and endeavour to avoid too much fatty food, do weight circuits three times a week, aerobics (elliptical and cycle) 5-6 times a week and, VERY IMPORTANT, dance salsa :)

Calorie control works. If you can't measure it, you can't control it. If you don't track it (I use an iPhone app) you can't measure it.

The time in the gym is mainly about maintaining metabolism and preventing muscle loss. The calories burned give you some headroom in keeping under your intake limits as a secondary benefit.

Find a supplemantary activity you can *enjoy* that is going to contribute to your goals. I personally hate the gym.

When I say Salsa, I'm really menaing a lifestle change - for me that is Salsa. Salsa classes are as effective as an aerobics class (and far more entertaining). Meanwhile, in an evening out dancing, I can burn through anything up to 800 or 1,000 calories (polar heart monitor based readings). At a minimum I'm far ahead, even if I have a couple of drinks, and your metabolism is cranked for a good portion of the night. Worst case, I can grab a slice on the way home and not feel particularly guilty about it. Compared to sitting at the bar boozing, or sitting on the couch at home, enough said.

Salsa might not be what works for you, but finding something that is entertaining while being beneficial makes it far easier to acheive your goals, and goes along way to maintaining the results once you've acheived them.

I had to comment, just because it's pretty damn rare for my hometown to get a mention anywhere, let along on Slashdot :P This was a pretty big event at the time - Nasa had a team of people on the ground and were aksing for bits of debris to be bought in for analysis. My mother took a few pieces in and forgot about it, several months later they sent them back mounted on a nice wall plaque identifying which part of the space station it was from :)