I am where you are. At 5' 9" I weighed 260 pounds. Over the last 8 months
dieting and walking, I am at 200 pounds. I feel twice as good (well, that is)
then at my 260 weight.

The weight does creep up on you, and it kills thousands. You need to start
cutting down on the size of meal portions, start thinking about each meal --are
you really hungry, each time you eat? Start drinking more water. Begin a slow
walking schedule. Don't jog and damage your hips and knees.

Metabolism slows down as we age. To boost metabolism do two sessions
daily of aerobic exercise. Approx. 15 minutes each session, one in the
morning and one before supper. Walking briskly with arms pumping is a
good way to start. Be slightly breathless. That's all. Every day. This
can be done on your way to work, if no other way. Either add this to
your existing program, or begin here and build to a more intensive
program.

Don't eat more food or more calorie dense foods. Make sure you get
good quality complex carbohydrate because the active body needs
carbohydrates. (That's why marathoners have a carbo load the night
before the run).

Check here for tips on eating and working out.

www.lesliebeck.com
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/paguide/index.html

Zee

I gained like 180 pounds in twenty years. When I was born, I weighed about
10 lbs and when I was 20, I was about 190 lbs.

The  sleep apnea is probably from being too fat.

When you were young, you probably got a lot more excercise, especially if
you sit a desk all day.

Plus, as you get older, your metabolism slows down.

Finally, you might be eating  more than you think. Keep a diary.

Jeff

The answer is simple.  It is called insulin resistance.  That is why
the weight slowly creeps up over the years.  That is why it has
nothing to do with overeating since you only eat when you are hungry.
Ideally there is nothing wrong with that.  Eating when you are hungry
is the normal rational thing for all living creatures on this planet
to do.  However that only applies if those animals are eating a diet
that is natural and normal.  Humans however are the one creature that
has fabricated its food to an extreme level where it is unfit to eat.
If you eliminate these fake foods you WILL get your insulin resistance
under control and that will lead to weight loss.  You will NOT need to
cut calories or starve yourself.  You should NEVER be hungry it is
that simple.  When you eat the right foods you do not have to be and
your weight will be normal.  If you really want to lose the weight and
be healthy it is simple.  Simply stop eating refined sugar/flower and
liquid/hydrogenated vegetable oils.  Replace those refined carbs with
vegetables and small to moderate amount of whole grains and replace
the oils with plenty of animal fats, olive oil, and especially coconut
oil.  Do all or most of your cooking in coconut oil.  Over all have a
diet of no less than 50% calories from fat and preferably 60% or more.
If you do this you WILL LOSE WEIGHT without having to starve
yourself.  You will stop the progression of insulin resistance and
even reverse it.  This will lead to countless health benefits.  Now
many people are going to tell you different but this is the simple
truth and you should learn for yourself and do it.  The results will
be clear to you then.  As they were clear to me and many others who
inform themselves and change their diets.  There only result is better
health.

Some good articles that sum up the basic information concerning the
obesity and poor health rampant in our modern society and how it is
caused by criminal multi billion dollar industries and corporations
with support from the corrupt medical establishment

http://777-health.members.easyspace.com/diabetes-deception.html

http://www.westonaprice.org/know_your_fats/oiling.html

http://www.coconutoil.com/coconut_oil_21st_century.htm

Your metabolism has changed.  Some people can handle more calories than others.
You are simply taking in more than you are using up.  When you were younger you
became accustomed to eating as much as you wanted without gaining weight but the
situation has changed.  Now you need to eat less (calories) than you did before.
You said you are eating about the same and you need to change your eating
habits.  

Ora

 Your metabolism slowed but you ate the same...very common.
You get fat.   Then you ate some processed food, those micro
particles leak though the gut undigested and along with other
things clogged your micro vessels and lymph system...making it
hard for the body to burn fat... that made it worse.

The cure... join a gym work out 3x a week, fast on raw
vegitable and green leafy juice (you make it you drink it
right away) for two days a week.... you will be skinny in no
time     Your body however will crave all the bad stuff that
built it... so that will slow you down as you pig out...but
stay on that regime and you will recover... also read widely,
there are other factors depending on your body type, health
and history.

Phil Scott

Tell us what you would typically eat in a normal day. There may be a clue there.

TC

  Eat more fiber.  Lots of it.  They have higher fiber breads out now, 3-4
grams per slice.  Put a little Country Crock or "I can't believe its not
butter" on it.  It might take some getting used to, but you can get used to
eating fiber.  Also, try whole wheat pasta and brown rice.  The brown rice
has to cook a little longer than the white rice.

 Also, cut out sweets.  Make your own hot chocolate instead and use Splenda
and maybe a little low-fat whip cream.  Drink diet coke if you drink
anything at all (Pepsi One also tastes good).

 get a physical activity you can enjoy.  For me, it's going down to the
driving range and hitting golf balls a few times a week.  Whatever works for
you.  It doesn't have to be earth shattering marathon running, just
something to keep your metabolism up.

You ate too much food.

Believe it or not, 140 lbs works out to just one slice of bread too many
each day, or half a glass of soda pop or fruit juice.  It doesn't take
much.

Then you must be less active.

That's because you're fat.

But see above.  It only takes an extra 67 kcal a day to gain the weight
you've gained over the period you've indicated.

If you do, then you should have been eating a bit less, since your needs
when down and your hunger should have adjusted.
First, did you get a full medical checkup? At your age and weight, and with
sleep apnea, you should do a complete checkup anyway, and it might be worth
it to check your metabolic condition. I'm thinking stuff like thyroid
hormones, since they can really screw hunger control. But other things can,
like reactive hypoglycemia. Anyway, checking for diabete, cholesterol and
the rest won't hurt.

Good, better try to keep things this way and not mess up with them too much.
Following your hunger is a pretty good mean to control your weight, *when*
it works properly.
Yet, you did eat too much, otherwise, your weight would not have crept up
like that. So, something is obviously broken somewhere. You had a normal
weight at 24, so this mostly rules out genetic causes. Part of the
explanation might be to find out exactly *what* happened when you were 24.
Did you change anything in your lifestyle? Was any psychological issue
involved?
Do you *always* follow your hunger, or do you feel like you *have* to eat
sometimes? As another poster said, even tiny mistakes do add up in the long
run. Like, feeling like you *have* to eat a fruit after your meal even
though you're not really hungry anymore. Or like feeling you *have* to have
breakfast, because you *have* to eat three times a day, even though you
stuffed yourself at dinner and are not really hungry.
You might want to keep a log of what you eat for a couple of weeks. Write
down *everything*, food and quantity of course, but also if you were hungry
or not, if you felt full or not, how you felt emotionnally (anxious,
stressed...). The idea is to be able to stop *when* your natural regulation
slips and why.
It might be worth it to use your natural regulation and just slide down the
full-stuffed cursor a bit downward. Usually, feeling full is quite
progressive, it's possible to stop just a little bit early and still feel
satisfied. Upping the overall level of exercise would not hurt either, even
if it doesn't make you lose weight, it will help your overall health anyway.