I’m 56. In 2003 I was diagnosed with a heart condition and I have high blood pressure. I weighed 206 then -- by 2005 I was down to 180 and both problems were under control.

Then I changed jobs, got a great job, maybe the best I have ever had. But I have a lot less time to work out. My job in pretty sedentary (I'm a programmer). But a couple of times a year we go out on boats and crawl around the rigging and other fun stuff. But if you're out of shape, it's no fun.

My down fall is a really great prescription for sea sickness: “Never quit eating, if your stomach is full you won’t get sick.” It works, but I gain weight on every trip.

So I got up to 210 and it’s time to get rid of some of it. Since I’m a geeky engineer kinda guy, doing it by counting something seems a good plan. But I am so geeky that I really want accurate numbers for everything.

My hobby is building things (and learning new building techniques). Right now I am doing some masonry work. So does anyone know how many calories you use up carrying rock around in the Texas sun for 6 to 8 hours?