A Fatty Introduces Himself... Again

Fatty - Late September 2010 estimated weight 275lbs

A little over 2 years ago you all started a journey with this Fatty. Fatty was 26, closer to 400lbs than 350 and feeling like I needed a change. So Fatty started running and eating healthy.

Over the next four months Fatty lost a lot of weight and dropped down to 316 in April of 2011. Now over a year later Fatty is back in the gym. Well Fatty never really left the gym since he works in a gym (aka Wood River YMCA) but you know what I mean.

Let us rewind a bit and talk about some mental reasons the Fatty is a fatty.

• The Fatty has a hard time caring about it. 

Honestly! Fatty has a rare character trait that makes him believe he is the most awesomest being on the planet. This of course is sometimes used as a mask to hide insecurities or it could just be a front that even Fatty himself hasn't realized he's putting on just to find a way with being ok that he weighs twice what a normal person weighs, who knows the reasons but Fatty thinks he is awesome and has a hard time admitting he's not in some way.

• The Fatty loves food. 

He pretends it's in that "Oh man did you see Hell's Kitchen last night?" Ultra-cool foodie way and sometimes it legitimately is but let's be honest. Fatty eats a lot of food. Late night munchies equal the need to go grocery shopping the next day because somehow all the eggs, milk, cereal, meat, apples, peanut butter, maple syrup, etc. IS GONE. Fatty might have a bit of a problem sometimes. Yikes.

• The Fatty despises working out. And gyms in general. 

This one might seem like a no-brainer but it's a big one. The Fatty hates the gym. It makes him uncomfortable because it brings out all the anxiety and self-consciousness that bullet point number 1 does such a good job of masking. Also, it's f'ng hard.


Sounds like some obstacles to overcome eh? How many of you feel the same way? I betting more than a few of you. Today was my 4th workout in 4 days. I wanted to wait a few days before posting anything because I knew that if I went right to here and posted it would end up being like my last 3 posts and you wouldn't see me again for months and months. This time is different though, I made promises.

Not the Fatty but how the Fatty feels. 

See sometimes when a Fatty is fat, medical problems develop. The Fatty has a medical condition called Sleep Apnea and he has it BAD. Which means that unless Fatty wears something called a CPAP, his airway will close while he sleeps. This is generally considered a bad thing. I've had my CPAP machine since April of 2009, I got it back when I was near my biggest weight. Adjusting to constantly carrying a machine with me has been difficult, it makes camping a no-go, makes airports frustrating, sleeping in the car impossible, oh and hammocks? Forget about it.

See this picture here to the left? That's me on a nightly basis. Hoses wrapped everywhere, breathing like Darth Vader. It sucks. There is no promise that losing weight will help but it should. So I made a promise to an amazing girl, who I'm crazy about, that when we meet up again in a few months, I'll be healthier. Honestly though, I'm really glad I made that promise. My muscles hurt today with a burn I haven't felt since I first started this journey.

Ok I broke my own rules, this post is way too long. Sorry. The Fatty is glad to be back though. See you in the gym! 

A Fatty last week in San Clemente with his folks. 

A Fatty gets in gear

The Fatty started reading his own blog and one post in particular, 10 excuses to NOT Go Running, it hit particularly close to the fatties heart (and laziness). So yesterday the Fatty hit the gym. And it was rough. Definitely rough. Hit the weights, jumped on the elliptical, squats until the knees started popping, crazy ab stuff followed by 30 minutes of b-ball and a long walk with the dog. Here's the one part of the post that hit hardest,

5. "I don't have time" - Bullshit. I didn't have time either. You know what I did have time for though? Hours and hours and hours of TV. Want to hear my lineup? I'm going to try to go from memory as I watch most of my shows online and have no idea what network or day they actually air - Chuck, House, HIMYM, Big Bang Theory, Entourage, Boardwalk Empire, Bored to Death, Bones, Stargate Universe, Eureka, Running Wilde(funniest show on tv, please don't cancel it FOX!), Supernatural, Sons of Anarachy... I'm forgetting a few but on top of my 40+ hour work week I managed to find time for no less than 11 hours of television a week, not including movies or social outings. Having kids may take some of that extra time away but I think we can all squeeze in at least half an hour a day. 

Harsh right? So get out there fatty.

Fatty: Elephant in a field of antelopes

View from the Fatty's new condo

Last week I moved to one of the top 5 fittest counties in the country. Blaine County, Idaho. This place is AMAZING. Full of celebrities and millionaires, Olympic athletes, world-class skiing, epic mountain biking, incredible scenery, it. is. heaven.

There's just one problem. The Fatty is still a fatty. In a county full of amazingly in shape people, young and old, I find myself to be the odd man out, or rather the fat man out. What's a fatty to do?

Well not sit around and cry was a good start, so I threw away the tissue box and hit up staff workout on Tuesday morning (Yes Fatty works for an amazing organization that has a weekly staff workout!). My legs are still in pain after an hour long circuit workout. Really fantastic though to be in a room of my co-workers, sweating and cursing, all of us working to achieve our own goals.

Today is Thursday and because I had a hard time walking yesterday, let alone working out, I took Wednesday off. Today though started with a delicious home made egg breakfast and then a nice long day of work and ended with my first time seriously working out in almost a YEAR. It wasn't easy. It also wasn't very long. But it's a step in the direction that I committed to going last October. It will be pretty hard to get demotivated in this environment. Between hiking every morning/evening with my coonhound Ellie, and working at a place full of people passionate about living healthy and having a total wellbeing, you can look for pretty regular posts from Fatty.

Sorry I took a break quit. Sorry that I allowed myself to being content with the losses I had made. I was healthier, happier and an all around better guy when I was focused on creating a less fat Fatty. I look forward to getting that attitude and feeling back and keeping it this time around!