Fly, Fatboy, Fly!

by Matt Stratton on July 9, 2009

Most of my adult life, I’ve battled with my weight. Sort of. “Battle” implies that I actually was fighting. It’s perhaps more accurate to say that I’ve rolled over and surrendered to my weight. In a nutshell, I am heavy for one specific reason – I’m lazy. Like most people, when I was younger, I was not overweight, for several reasons:

1) Daily gym class

2) Participation in organized sports (in my case, cross country running)

3) Eating meals at home with a mother who made sure I ate nutriously

4) Teenage metabolism which allowed me to have an Italian beef sandwich, large fries, strawberry shake, AND a pizza puff for lunch…and still weigh a buck sixty.

Of course, I don’t have those things available to me any more. Which is why I’m heavy now. Which is why I need to do something about it. For reals this time.

Often times, when discussing weight loss in a blog, etc, people shy away from specifics. We’re overweight and embarrassed about numbers. Well, I’ve decided that it’s not going to do any good to hide these numbers. First of all, I’m not able to hide the fact that I’m heavy, so who do I think I’m fooling? Also, I’m going to work with the concept of the Motivation of Shame – if I am properly embarrassed to have the entire internets know how heavy I am…that should help me when I have to convince myself to not get a Twix out of the vending machine this afternoon.

This is what I looked like when I was 18

This is what I looked like when I was 18 - approx 180 pounds

Some reference points – I am 5′10″. When I was in “fighting trim” (aka a distance runner in high school) I weighed about 165 pounds. When I went off to college, I weighed 180 pounds. My “ultimate goal weight” is 190 pounds, give or take.

I worked out pretty hard in the six months prior to our wedding (in 2007) and got my weight down from 234 pounds to 218 pounds. I accomplished this by eating (somewhat) reasonably, working out at the gym with a trainer twice a week, and riding my bike to work semi-regularly.

On June 28 of this year, I stepped on the scale, and that little bastard reported me at 238 pounds.

Yes.

Two hundred and thirty-eight.

That is the most I have weighed in my entire life.

It was time for a change. Again.

This is me in 2007 - approx 218 pounds

This is me in 2007 - approx 214 pounds

The next day, I kicked off the Couch to 5K program (I’ve started it before but never kept up with it). The basic gist of the program is a set schedule of interval training that gets you able to run a 5K on a regular basis. I’m doing it via a helpful podcast, as well as taking advantage of my Nike+ technology to track my workouts. So far I am about halfway through Week 2…and haven’t missed a run yet. Although I’m not really feeling like I’ve accomplished anything until I get to Week 5. Then I know I’ll have stuck to it.

One majorly disappointing experience – after running for a week, I got back on the scale on Tuesday morning. And I clocked in at 243 pounds. For reals! I GAINED five pounds. Although that was probably due to chowing down on ice cream three times over the 4th of July holiday weekend. The good news is, as of this morning, I am down to 240 pounds, so that temporary weight is shedding quickly.

I’m not on any kind of specific “diet” right now – although I’m trying to log my food intake (and fitness activity) using SparkPeople. I’ve used CalorieKing in the past, but decided to try something new this time. I also use Tweet What You Eat to log when I’m not at a computer but need to record food consumption. I figure once I get a handle on recording my intake as a habit, I can start to tweak what that intake is. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not wolfing down Big Macs – I’m trying to, as I like to say, “not eat like an idiot”. But I’m figuring it’s more important to record than to judge right now, if that makes sense.

I also am going to start doing more than just my every other day runs soon – a couple of months ago, my wife and I started Jillian Michaels’ DVD program, the Thirty Day Shred. It’s definitely geared towards women, but I’ll tell you - it’s a freakin’ tough workout. I’m going to try to start doing the Shred on my non-running days starting in two weeks. Keep me honest, people!

And that last bit is what this is all about. I’m going public here. There are a lot of people who read my blog, and I’m hoping that if you all know that I’m doing this, you’ll all be there to be disappointed in me if I fail. Again, the Motivation of Shame (this is the same reason I have my Nike+ set up to update my Facebook status and Twitter with every run). I know I can do this. I know that I’ve started down this path many, many times in the past…but I’m sure I can do it this time. I know if I can make it until September on this “program” I’ll be well on my way.

What do you all think? Am I missing anything? Is there something else I can do to help ensure success?

Tagged as: Fitness

  • It's the inner you that counts ;) But making sure your health doesn't suffer is very important, I usually try to use my push bike for work whenever the weather is nice and also eating healthy whenever I can..
    .-= Karen@Blazing Minds´s last blog ..A Trip to Glan Clwyd Hospital and a Long, Long Wait! =-.
  • MissKitty
    I applaud you and your efforts as I, too, have "struggled" with my weight for a very long time. I think that you've got a good plan set out and very achievable goals.

    The one thing I would caution against, though, is relying totally on shame. I know that for me, when I try to shame myself into dieting or whatever, I'll run into a particularly difficult day at work or something that will make me have chips for dinner and then the shame of that escalates and escalates until I find myself saying, "Screw the whole thing! I'm just going to be fat and live with it!" as I have another brownie. That could just be me, but it is something worth thinking about. While shame can be a good motivator to an extent, it might be good to build in a back-up or fail-safe for when things get really tough so that it doesn't become so overwhelming that you give up. Allow yourself some room for slippage, so to speak. (But not too much. Everything in moderation, you know.)
  • Good point, Kitty - and I agree about the lack of "shame". I think that maybe "shame" is the wrong word - or at least, I'm using it facetiously. It's more about being "public" with my goals, so that I can be motivated to crow about my success - and know that if I fail, I am going to have to tell people that part too.

    Good point about baking in slippage, also. I think what is going to help me here is setting realistic expectations.
  • I already told you this off your blog - but 30 Day Shred is awesome. I've heard so many people who were in pretty good shape trying it and having it kick their ass.

    For food habits -I've found having a "habits" check list helps me when I find something that needs to be tweaked - mine has a column for each day of the month and the rows being what I want to change (water intake, more veggies, earlier bedtime). I carry it with me and check off a row for each serving of veggies or 8oz of water - it's a challenge to see how many days in a row I can go. My coworkers think I'm crazy for doing this but it is a visual reminder and physically checking something off makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something.
  • it’s a challenge to see how many days in a row I can go

    That's a really good strategy...and it's even endorsed by Jerry Seinfeld!
  • Jodie
    I'm proud of you, dude. It's a tough thing... I may not be overweight, but thinner people that don't exercise have tons of health problems too (my b ack is already screwed up). It's been about a month that I've been back on the fitness wagon, and it feels really good.

    What helps me is to concentrate on that endorphin rush after the workout. I know that the workout helps me physically, but it's equally important to me mentally. I feel strong and happy after a good workout - we all need that. Also, the food record is really good - I had no idea how much of my daily calories were (are, actually) coffee drinks! I switched to skim and I'm trying to cut some of the sweet. Lastly - stuff yourself with green veggies, man. Find new ones... I'm all about brussels sprouts (really), kale, bok choy, spinach and all sorts of things I never used to eat. YOU CAN DOOOO EEEEET.
  • Jodie - I know! I need to just chow on the greens. I like most green veggies...and I even am making myself eat tomatoes. I had tomatoes on my sandwich yesterday and it didn't kill me! This was a big step for me.

    It's a little tricky since Carrie's dietary needs of the next 7 months are going to be slightly different than mine - she needs loads of protein, fiber, and calcium. OK, so actually, she doesn't need much different than I do. That's a good thing!
  • amandapance
    Good for you, Matt! I also find it helpful to bring healthy snacks to work (i.e. fresh fruit from the farmers' market, nuts like almonds or cashews [unsalted, to avoid water retention], yogurt, Clif Bars, even cereal) so that when that 3:30 or 4PM hunger monster hits, you're not reaching for something from the vending machine.

    Good luck and good health!
  • The unsalted part is what gets me every time. I love almonds...especially the "smokehouse" ones...you know, the ones that are swimming in sodium.

    But unsalted almonds are good too. I just have to learn to control the portions.
  • yep Sparkpeople is pretty sweet..especially when I do keep up with it. And I've done the Couch to 5K last summer. I mean to do it again this year in time for the Elvis Run. Are you going to hit any 5Ks in particular?
  • Tessa - as I told my sister this morning, I don't know offhand if there are any 5K's that I'm going to enter...I'll probably start looking for some that are in September.
  • The Riz
    I was thinking about posting this in the Y! Conceal your fat ass thread - http://sivers.org/zipit
    Your thoughts?
  • Very good point, and I do agree with it. I think that they summarized the "Motivation of Shame" angle I am going for with this paragraph:

    If you do tell a friend, make sure not to say it as a satisfaction (“I’ve joined a gym and bought running shoes. I’m going to do it!”), but as dissatisfaction (“I want to lose 20 pounds, so kick my ass if I don’t, OK?”)

    I do know that with some goals, I do prefer to NOT be public with them...and just let people find out after I did it. But in this case, with the whole webbernets at my disposal...I'm pretty sure you guys will "kick my ass" if I fall off.
  • Hey Matt - you go, this is awesome!!! I'm totally cheering you on from Troy, NY.

    I struggled with my weight for years (mostly in my early 20s) and am in a really good place with it now. Honestly, the biggest thing that helped me was learning to love myself "as I am" (sounds corny, but it's true!) and rewarding myself (not with food! ;) when I met my goals... vs. just punishing myself when I didn't. I tend to do better when I really give myself kudos for the improvements I *do* make vs. when I'm just punitive w/myself... reward myself with a little pat on the back, some new clothes, time out with a friend, whatever...

    I also find it really helpful to have a vision for what I DO want - i.e. being healthy, living a long and vital life, feeling great... vs. just what I don't want. So if your goal is to be at your optimum weight to be the best man, hubby, dancer, etc. you can (or whatever else!) and just to feel GREAT - I think that helps...

    Just my two cents. Kick ass! Yeah Mugs! :-) Do it for yourself and your family and for that long and healthy life because YOU ARE WORTH IT. :-)

    P.S. regular gym time and scheduling dance weekends at least once a month make the difference for me now - that and eating vegetarian (plus seafood). I eat lots of greens, beans, etc. And lift weights, which totally helped change the *shape* of my body - I feel in better shape now than I did in my 20s.

    Rock on!
    .-= Lisa Graham´s last blog ..OBAMA-JOY! =-.
  • Good luck Matty!! You definitely should know from my blog that I've been working hard to try to get into shape... I've weighed more now than I ever have and even though I don't think I'm classified as overweight, I figure I better get in the habit of working out now.

    You're drinking lots of water right? And not sure if it was mentioned, but I was told to make sure to eat 5 times a day... 3 main meals and then 2 little snacks. I also just read the same thing in an article, basically it helps keep your metabolism going. I've been trying to eat more fruit as a snack.

    One more thing (geez I'm chatty today). Are you doing anything else besides running? My trainer has me lifting weights because he wants to get a bit of muscle on me - it's supposed to help burn calories better.
    .-= Ari´s last blog ..Confessions of this shopaholic =-.
  • Kathy
    Good Luck Matt! I know you can do it!

    Have you talked to your doctor and talked to them about your weight loss goals? They can check your thyroid and maybe get you a script to help get you started (phentermine, for example, if your doc thinks it will help)

    I'm a big fan of low carb eating, and even a little eco-Atkins. One thing that helped me to lose 30 lbs was to post in a forum and have the support of others trying to lose weight. Unfortunately the Fat-Smash forum I was using has been shut down. Everyone there was on the same 'program' and I really looked forward to their support and virtual butt-kicking when I needed it. Now I need to get back on a program and return to good eating and exercise habits.

    I wish you all the best and I can't wait to hear of your success!
  • Autumn
    Good luck with it all! I love Sparkpeople, if you have an iPhone, there is an app for food tracking also. Also, an AWESOME blog (she actually wrote a book from her blog) is http://www.pastaqueen.com/.
    Autumn
  • Emmysue
    Remember that our stomach cavities should not be made to hold a quantity of food that is much bigger than the size of one's own fist. Unless we're eating all or mostly vegetables in your meal, we're probably consuming more calories than our bodies need if we regularly eat a quantity larger than this.

    At meals, mentally portion off a volume of food on your plate that is about the size of your fist. Eat and enjoy that, and then STOP. Put down your fork and knife. Sit back. Take a moment to notice how your stomach feels with that amount of food in it. Be conscious of that sensation in your stomach, your esophagus. Tell yourself "I'm full. This is what full feels like. This is enough food." Then immediately ask for the doggie bag, feed the rest of your plate to Scout, offer the rest of your meal to your dining companions, telling them "I'm finished with this, please help yourselves." (Say it out loud, this makes it official.) If they decline, crumple or fold your napkin and put it on your plate and push it away. Make up an "I'm done eating" schtick and make it your own. Perform it at every large meal. The purpose is to do whatever is necessary to get the remainder of your meal out of sight and out of mind, and to tell yourself "I've had enough to eat and I'm DONE."

    This ritual is kind of weird and Stuart Smalley-ish, but after doing it at every meal for a while, I found that I naturally stopped eating when I hit the "fist amount", because my body had accepted this as The New Full. Part of it is that my stomach's capacity acclimated itself to smaller portions, but I think it's mostly psychological. Now it's to the point that I'm adverse to huge portion sizes, because it's a PITA and/or wasteful to go through the whole "get rid of the rest of the meal" routine. Easier to just order a small portion size in the first place. This mindset has also drastically improved the quality of restaurants I visit, which emphasize quality over quantity. (As a side note, this is what really brought me into my personal foodie renaissance, and now my relationship with food is healthier and happier than it has ever been - what a wonderful side effect of what started out as just a weight control strategy.)

    Now I rarely eat huge portions of food, and when I do, it's not a big pot of Tuesday night Kraft mac n cheese or a lameass business lunch-sponsored Subway footlong. No, I save those bigger-than-a-fist occasions for the pastrami sandwich at Katz's, the amazing gourmet Mother's Day brunch prepared by a friend or family member, the anniversary dinner at a high-end restaurant....you know, those rare, wonderful, artisan dining experiences for which I know you and I both have a great passion, Matt. :-) Don't deny yourself those wonderfully indulgent foodie moments, but make those the exception and not the rule. You will savor them all the more.

    This is not a one-size-fits-all psychological strategy, but it's worked for me. As always, good luck.
  • Yer auntie
    Understood. TOTALLY understood. My personal peeve us going out to eat. They invariably serve you a "portion" on what used to be a serving platter!! Dinner plates are bigger than they used to be. Fruit used to be fist sized and now it's huge!!

    It makes it very hard to figure out what is a reasonable serving. Suffice to say, that palm-to-fist size is a good fit for just about everything! I am totally amazed at current public serving sizes. Not to mention all-you-can-eat.

    Good luck, nephew. I gotta say that just watching portions allowed me to easily lose weight. It was a pain to watch portions for the first month or so, then it got easier.

    GOOD LUCK again!!
  • Yer auntie
    But ... I assume that you realise that muscle weighs more than fat?
  • Becky Sister
    FIBER BABY, FIBER!!! Fiber is a natural subtraction system...use it to loose it. I'm for reals! :)
  • Good luck!

    Here from Netchick..
    .-= Jean´s last blog ..Thoughts for a weekend =-.
  • For partly selfish reasons, I recommend you take up footbagging. It's an aerobic, cardio and muscle building sport and I'm always looking for someone to kick with.
  • loupy
    I also have always struggled with body fat. This following has worked for me lately where I am finally at a point where I am comfortable with where I am.

    Exercise and being active is required. I have gotten great results with simply lifting weights 2 times a week and participating in any activity that keeps me moving. My body likes it when change things up. I quickly plateau when I repeat the same activities, exercises. My body and mind need to do different things.

    Food type is also critical for this. Everybody's body handles different types of food differently. So the types of food that make some people fat don't seem to bother others. The key is finding out what your body is able to efficiently process. There are people who can do metabolic typing to help figure that out and also, bio signature readings (measuring body fat with calipers in different places) to help determine which food your body processes most effectively. Food log is critical to understanding this.

    I know I don't do well with carbs, and animal fats seem to have no effect on me. So I stick to vegetables, meat, nuts, and berries...lots of them. Very little dairy, no grains, no starches and no sugar. My general rule is that if I am going to eat it, I need to be able to "kill it or pick it". I eat organic when I can. I never eat anything wrapped in cellophane and NEVER anything out of a vending machine. If I have to look at the ingredients or calories, I know I shouldn't be eating it. Also, the diet soda I loved has switched to water (sometimes sparkling cuz I do loves me my bubbles). My body is on a regular cycle of food, I always get hungry at the same time and know exactly what will satiate it. Regular and healthy bowel movements follow that pattern too. I generally feel good and healthy. I get my blood-work done once a year and have never had an elevated level of anything. Also, I take fish oil and a multi everyday.

    Of course the above are general rules, exceptions (cheats) do occur whenever I need to just to keep sane. Also about every four days I have a cheat meal where I eat whatever the hell I want. This is critical to my process both physically and mentally.

    There is a wonderful book call "How To Eat, Move and be Healthy by Paul Chek" that really helped me.

    that is all for now, it's three and my body needs a snack
  • loupy
    oh yea, and the real SHAME is those rolled up denim shorts in the photo above. Don't give me anything about being 18 either. I am pretty sure those were never cool.
  • Hey Matt,

    You could also try http://dailyburn.com/public/indexb (a site called Gyminee). Has some cool videos and ways to track your progress. I just started using it and so far like it.

    Good luck!

    Mark
  • It's never an easy thing to address, and I admire the fact that you put it out there for the world to see (cute pics by the way).

    One little hint...if you drink sodas, even diet sodas, you might consider cutting them out. I lost 8 pounds in 2 weeks by just cutting out all things carbonated.

    I've heard that Jillian kicks butt...I should try her DVD with you...in two weeks that is. ;)
    .-= Grandy´s last blog ..What now? =-.
  • Nice work. After starting GrubHub I gained about 20 lbs from all the restaurants I was selling. They kept plying me with free Pizza Puffs and Crab Rangoon. I started running. Man alive it was tough! I remember hitting 3 miles for the first time. I'd like to say it was awesome, but mostly, it was really tough. After that, In a desperate attempt to conquer the pain I decided to try 4 runs a week for 4 weeks. Somewhere around the 9th run or so, I realized I was *actually* enjoying myself. Running can *gasp* be fun. Of course, then I went totally overboard and got addicted to it and now I can't stop running marathons, but don't worry, I don't think that is normal.
    .-= Mike Evans´s last blog ..Bootstrapping Series: Make the First Sale =-.
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