Interview for Success in Weight Loss and Life

In my line of work, I have to write some kind of code that I've never written before almost daily. Generally, this code is for something in the "user interface" part of the program, like a new form of drop-down menu, or something else along those lines. Something visual.

One thing I've found that really seems to help me, particularly when I'm stuck on a problem, is to find some source code on the web that does something very similar to what I'm trying to do. Not one to reinvent the wheel am I. Occasionally, if I'm lucky, I find someone selling a 'widget' that does exactly what I want, and I can buy it without having to use all that time writing it.

Once I've obtained the code I need, either free or by paying, I study it fairly intently, and take it apart in order to find out what makes it work. This is a great way, I've found, to learn new things.

Anyone wanna guess where I'm going with this?

If I can be successful at writing new software by studying the software of others that does what I want, is there any reason why I can't find someone who has already succeeded in moving from an unhealthy and fat lifestyle to a thin, fit, and healthy lifestyle? In success writings, this is called "modeling", and it's a very effective tool for helping out when you want to affect a change in your life.

When I started my change, I decided to find three people I knew who I could 'interview' to find out some things about how they had accomplished their health goals. When I talked to these people, I had a certain set of questions that I asked each of them, and I plan on going over their stories and their answers tomorrow, and maybe Monday, depending on how long-winded I get or if I get sidetracked.

The people I found to interview are:

    Randy, who works for one of my competitors. Actually, I used to work at the company he works at, before my two partners and I decided to break off and form our company. Oddly, most people from that company don't like me (or my partners, for that matter) much any more <insert evil grin here>. Randy, however, isn't like other people, and I consider him a good friend still.
    John, who is one of my customers, and
    Jane, who is also one of my customers.

I asked them all the same basic set of questions:

•     What happened in your life to make you reach threshold, where you realized you had to change?
•     What actions did you take when you decided to change?
•     Did you exercise, and what sort of exercise did you do?
•     What kinds of foods did you eat?
•     How much weight did you lose?
•     How long did have you kept the weight off?

I'm gonna wrap this up for today. I'll be back tomorrow with their stories. Have a good night.