There is never a good time for good-bye, but for me that time has come. After nearly three and a half years with The Tribune, it is time for me to move on to bigger and better things. Effective today, my time as a reporter, photographer, and assistant editor for The Tribune will end. My time with The Tribune has been full of opportunity -- chances to see things I never thought I would, to meet people I never imagined and to accomplish things I never imagined...

If you told me nine months ago that all the work I put into losing weight would go out the window, I would have laughed. Like many people, I was all determined that once it was gone it was never coming back ... then I found out I was going to be a father...

The holidays are upon us and this the time when the diet goes out the window never to be seen again until the New Year's resolution. Like many people, I spend my Thanksgiving holiday with my family and the in-laws. I come from an Italian family and we love to cook, eat and shoot the breeze with each other for hours. While I love this fact about my family, it poses quite a difficult challenge when trying to live a healthier life...

Well, I think it's about time that I come clean. Over the last several weeks I have not made it a secret that I've been struggling to keep on the weight-loss train, but I haven't been entirely honest. I had mentioned that I gained a little back, but now it's time to say that I didn't just gain a little, I gained most of it back...

There's no doubting the fact that abuse of the fast food industry can cause serious problems with your health. I was in college when the movie Super Size Me came out and targeted McDonald's as one of the key contributors to obesity across the country. ...

The leaves are falling and so are the temperatures. When the weather starts to cool down, many people will think that it is too cold to work out. I used to be one of those people, but not anymore. Just because it gets colder outside doesn't mean that your activity needs to go into hibernation. ...

It's no secret that I personally have been struggling with my weight for quite some time, even when I was younger I was still a pretty big kid. Being fat and overweight is something that I have somewhat grown accustomed to. I've gotten used to the fact that I can't find a pair of jeans that fit at Walmart, I've learned that the Big & Tall section is just that, not Big or Tall like I need. ...

I have mentioned in previous columns how important it is to have somebody in your corner when you are trying to lose weight. To be successful, I need someone to go with me. Unfortunately, my partner, a.k.a. my beautiful wife, has been slacking but I guess she has a pretty good excuse. ...

I realized that this column makes my 25th edition. It seems like a pretty good number. Companies always celebrate their 25th anniversary with a huge sale or a party. Unfortunately, I don't have a product to have a sale on, nor do I have the money to throw a huge party...

I grew up eating dinner every night at home at the dinner table with no television. Since moving out on my own several years ago, I have found that it is much more difficult for just my wife and I to sit down for dinner at the dinner table. I get home from work at about 5:30 and she is tired from teaching kindergarten, first- and second- graders all day, so neither of us really want to cook anything and we end up eating out...

People who live by the age-old saying "I'll sleep when I'm dead" could be getting sleep sooner than later. In 2006, the Harvard Women's Health Watch released a study showing six important reasons to get some sleep. I came across this as I was doing some investigation into my own sleep difficulties and I thought it would be of interest to others...

What does it mean to be healthy? Can I tell you what healthy is? In a world where we constantly hear about the epidemic known as obesity, I think we often view health as being thin, and in my opinion that is not always the case. Health is like beauty, it's in the eye of the beholder. What is healthy for me may not be what is healthy for my neighbor. So this then poses the question that may be in your mind, what does being healthy mean to me? Well, I'll tell you...

Once again, my blunders in the kitchen should provide a bit of joy to your life. My wife and I bought some frozen fish, cod to be specific, from the store with the intent of cooking it up and enjoying a healthy dinner or two. That was about two months ago, and the fish just sat in the freezer the whole time ... until last week when I decided to bake it...

As time goes on, people often find themselves in lulls of activity. Sometimes the workout routine gets too routine, causing the body to go on autopilot, or it could be that other aspects of life have put high-intensity workout on the back burner. Regardless of the situation, just remember it happens to everyone and it can be overcome...

Like most Americans, I struggle within the current economic situation. Over the last two years, my wife and I have done away with everything that we feel is not vital in an effort to lower our monthly expenses. Unfortunately, one of the items that was cut from our budget was our gym membership. ...

There is a reason that the diet industry is one of the top businesses in the world. Millions of people are looking for the right diet or the right pill -- anything to get rid of those extra pounds. What many people don't realize is that there really is no substitute for good old-fashioned hard work. You don't need a magical weight loss pill or a bookshelf full of fad diet books. All you need is some drive, determination, and support...

When I go on a road trip, very rarely will I go straight from Point A to Point B. There is often a detour of some kind, a rare unpassable roadside attraction to go blow a couple of bucks on or even the occasional missed exit or wrong turn that becomes an adventure...

Since I was in high school, I have learned the importance of drinking water. My wife, on the other hand, thinks I'm crazy. I've been taught that water is the key to life. In fact, the Mayo Clinic's website, in an article titled "Water: How much should you drink every day?," states that "water is essential to good health."...

Since I began writing this column back in March, I have been blown away by the level of support I have received from the community. This past Friday I was covering the Relay for Life event and something very awesome happened. I was walking around the track, in the opposite direction from everyone else, and a gentleman stopped me. ...

Sometimes the reason that it is so hard to overcome the hurdles that keep the weight from coming off is because we get stuck in the same old routine. I am a creature of habit. I love routines. When I jog, I have a playlist set on my iPod and I use the songs to gauge my pace. When I get to Kelly Clarkson's song "Walk Away," I know it is time to walking a little to begin my cool-down period...

In the process of losing weight, there is only one person who knows the reason for a regression in my journey to a healthier version of myself -- me. Whether we want to admit it or not, we know why those pounds slowly came back, why the hours in the gym slowly turn into minutes, or even faded away completely. ...

I'm going to get right to the point. I am challenging readers of my column to get outside and walk. In an effort get my physical activity back on track, I have decided to set a goal for myself. I have learned through this journey to set realistic goals that still stretch me a little bit farther than I thought I could go...

Over the last several weeks, I have been in a bit of a slump as far as my weight loss journey. It happens to a lot of people and I'm sure it will happen to me again. To get out of my slump, I decided to participate in the Nevada Rotary's "Run Amuck" 5K on May 7. ...

Why are you trying to lose weight? When asked that question, many people will say that it is because they want to be healthier, or they want to fit in to those skinny jeans again. But what is the real reason? In my journey, I have found that oftentimes the most intense battle I have encountered has been with myself...

One of the biggest fears and even source of controversy when it comes to weight loss is stepping on that little piece of metal, plastic, or glass on your bathroom floor -- that's right, the scale. All too often, the scale becomes the source of bad news for men and women across the world. ...

There is a reason that weight loss is often referred to as a roller coaster -- the journey is full of ups, downs, and twists in between. In the journey to a healthier version of myself, I have encountered many different successes and many different failures. ...

Well, I got myself excited about the chance to be under 300 pounds for the first time since 2003, but I am sadly disappointed. My goal was to reach the 299 mark by the end of the week and it is not looking good. I have been suffering from a pretty bad cold that gave me a sinus headache for a couple of days, constant coughing, and weak muscles...

No matter how motivated a person is, a little encouragement or a little boost is always helpful. All too often when people try to lose weight they end up getting discouraged because of a bad week or their progress is not going as well as expected. One of the ways that I have found to keep a positive attitude is to celebrate my successes...

When you think about it mathematically, losing weight is pretty simple. Just burn more calories than you take in. Sounds simple enough, however, when you put it into real-world terms, it is quite difficult. I enjoy cooking and I love my fair share of Girl Scout cookies, candy, and all sorts of high-calorie foods, so it is hard for me to completely give up the things I really enjoy. That is why I have adopted a method that I learned from a friend of mine who is quite health conscious...

In the spirit of March Madness, my theme for this week is rebounding. Weight loss is hard. Plain and simple, it is not easy. Losing weight consists of peaks and valleys and plateaus. Right now, I am somewhere between a plateau and a valley.

Greetings readers. Like many people in America, I have begun the journey to transform my life and become a healthier person. I am always asking questions and researching online for tips and ideas on what to eat, what exercises to do, how to get the most effective workout possible. ...