My name is John W. Zimmer. I’ve started this web site to speak about weight-loss, diet, fitness, exercise, and nutrition topics from a quazi-layman perspective. I used to be a very active individual and was actually hyper-active in grade school. In the eighth grade I held the school (Hale Junior High in San Diego) long-jump record (18′ 6″) as well as the chess champion title. Some of the activities I’ve done were wrestling, karate, scuba diving, hang gliding, back packing, rock hopping, and bicycling.
Weight started becoming an issue in my early twenties. My karate instructor, who was in his forty’s at the time, commented that my beer belly was almost as big as his. When I told him that I still had him beat, he smiled and said that I was twenty years younger than him. 
I started my first diet. This diet composed of eating only two half-pound burgers for lunch rather than four! I lost weight as I was still very active in tournament competition and trained hard.
A few years later I bought and ran a karate school in El Cajon, CA. My old high-school weight of 155 was long gone and now 175 was more common. I got married for the first time and started spending less time at the school. I finally sold the school and started working a regular job as well as training for full-contact karate! My boxing trainer told me that middle weights could eat as much as they want so long as they put in the hours at the gym. I was sore everyday but I got into the best shape of my life for those six months before I quit! The pay was too small as well as the rewards back then for professional fighters (not to mention I had a family and needed a health plan).
The following years were full of my efforts trying to make a buck to support my growing family. I spent little time on diet and exercise and soon ballooned up to 22o pounds. I tried various fad diets from time to time and found I was very successful (if losing weight was the only measure)! I could start eating all meat or just veggies, maybe just shakes and loose a quick 20 pounds!
Well - I soon learned what yo-yo dieting was all about. I started exercising by throwing my sons on the back of my bike and going for rides… after a couple of weeks doing that I popped my back out of whack. You see I no longer had any muscle tone to speak of and was riding a desk at work (I was a life insurance agent at the time).
I was on the mend so I visited a chiropractor and learned how to strengthen my muscles to support my newly aligned back! I came across a book called fit or fat by Mr. Bailey, who pointed out that if one ate low-fat food and exercised, one would loose weight safely and tend to keep it off. I was on yet another diet adventure!
I chose to walk my weight off as I was eating tasteless food. I was able to keep the weight off easily so long as I focused on my diet and exercise! I spent a year writing my own diet plan called, “SLIMMER ZIMMER.” I did not have a formal business education so my marketing plan consisted of taking out an ad in the National Enquirer. The book did not go anywhere but I’ll offer it free eventually on this web site (after I get it converted into an eBook format).
I had financial troubles at that point in my life and I decided to go to college. I started with an AS/LAN degree (local area networks) at Grossmont College. Unfortunately I lost my focus in my diet and exercise plan and got fat again! I was working two jobs and going to school like so many adult college learners and just did not care about my health (compared to learning to make a good living)!
I got a job at the local telephone company and eventually went back to college to get my business degree (BSB/M) and an advanced business degree (MBA). I’ve left out many fad diets along the way but I now find myself to be 50 years old and I am heavier then ever! If I was a walrus I would be ideal - but alas I am a man. Five foot, eleven inches tall and 260 pounds is bordering (or may be) morbidly obese!
This New Year like every other new year I have made some goals… One of which is to get into an acceptable level of fitness for an active, 50 year-old man. I invite you to share my journey into nirvana!
Please take my advice with a grain of salt. I have a fitness and nutrition training certificate and have found a way of getting into shape that works for me. Please consult a medical doctor before starting any exercise program and if he or she agrees - check back and see how I am doing. You might find some useful tips that can help you too!