Super Size Me

In early '00, I was a chunky sumbitch. Working at a call center precluded me from getting much exercise during work hours. I also liked going across the street to BK for lunch on many days and if they had 2 burgers and 2 fries for 2 bucks, I bought them without hesitation. My weight steadily climbed. That spring, I was tipping the scales at 212. I got the pictures back from a birthday party at Friday's and I did not like what I saw. It was my face. It was really fat. It didn't look like me at all. I had a big gut as well. I had a Mayo book and looked under the BMI (body mass index) section. I found out that if I gained just a few more pounds I would be classified as obese (as opposed to just overweight). There was also an illustration of how as a person gets fatter, the organs around the chest get more crowded. I did not like this, not at all. I decided that I must take action.

It was around this time that I was hired at Mayo to work in their call center (the Western Digital one was being relocated to Young America, MN). During my training there, I resisted eating lunch. If I was starving, I would keep it super light (like having just a few crackers). I also walked during my breaks. And in the evening, instead of having, say, a burger, large fry, and a frosty, I would have a burger and small fry or burger and salad. I kept this up for a week, but didn't notice much difference on the scale. I wondered why I should bother if I wasn't seeing results. Perhaps I needed to order those weight loss supplements that they advertise on late-night TV all the time.



Just kidding. I'm not that stupid. I kept it up. Instead of eating out once or even twice a day, I went out every other or every 3rd day. And then it started to happen. I could see my dick again! No. The pounds did start to come off, though. The first 10 pounds came off quite fast. I was getting positive reinforcement from the scale (I love you, scale!), so did some additional walking in the evenings from time to time as well. After a few months, I had gone from 212 to 180. Great success! And I was able to keep the weight off. The highest I've been in the last 6 years is about 185 though 180 is where I am most typically at. 180 was good, but it actually still is a few pounds overweight. I just couldn't seem to get under 180, however. Oh well.

A strange thing happened late last year, though. I was sick for about a day and a half (I didn't throw up) and when I went on the scale after the illness passed, I noticed that it said I was 177. I could get used to this. I don't want to be 180 again. 177 is nice!! So I did all I could to stay in the upper 170's. I even made myself shit a few times. Ah, you bought it. No, I mostly just ate less in the late evening (a time when I am most vulnerable). I've been hangin' in at 175 for several weeks now with some days at 172 (I keep a second scale in the house to be sure I'm not being bamboozled by the first one). It does feel quite good to finally be at a truly "healthy" weight. I highly recommend it.