congratz man. . . I like hearing these stories. . . way to many over weight and out of shape people in the US.
I started working out and hired a personal trainer in February. . . at the time I was 189lbs at 5'9". . . not that bad but not good either.
I'm went down to 165lbs and now put on 10lbs of muscle instead of fat.
The book that helped out A LOT was the
The Abs Diet.
Don't let the name fool you, it is more of a healthy eating plan than a diet. . . the author writes for Men's Heath Magazine.
Keep up the good work man. ..