I've been trying to get my 23 year old little brother to realize that weight and health are not one in the same. He eats as though he was a 7 year old turned loose in the grocery store. I cook the meals for us at the house we share, and he won't touch hardly anything with a vegetable. But he doesn't gain an ounce, and maintains a pretty decent six pack, so he thinks he's being healthy.

I wisened up a little earlier. I'd been a soccer player my entire life, which helped me maintain a pretty decent level of fitness. Then when I was 20 I had a knee surgery, moved to Chicago (the best food city in the world), and started working crazy hours. The end result was that I got up to 215-220 lbs. by age 22, about 50 lbs heavier than my "playing weight" when I was 17. So I bought a bike and lost 40 lbs, down to the 180 where I am now, and am pretty content.

I know I could lose another 10 pounds if I wanted to, but I don't feel like it. I know a couple guys that are super serious about their weight and nutrition, and frankly they are no fun to be around.

To me, moderation is the key, as well as paying attention to what's actually in the food you eat. I stay away from corn-fed food and processed foods containing corn by-products. I don't eat the healthiest of foods (you'll get my wings, beer, and burgers when you pry them from my dead fingers), but I don't overdo it. You don't have to read a book or pay a nutritionist to know that a triple bacon cheeseburger is bad for you. I also eat a lot of pasta dishes because I'm broke, and pasta is a good way to fill up on a budget. But the pasta dishes that I make are veggie and protein heavy, so I'm not filling up completely on noodles. I also make all my pasta sauces myself, so I know exactly what goes into them. I've tried switching to whole wheat pasta, and it's just not for me. With the amount of salt I put on it to make it palatable, it just isn't worth it.