I Was Really Fat Until I Fixed It

There was a time when I was fat. 

Not “athlete fat,” where you’d like to drop five or ten pounds — I’m talking about obese. 

As I write this, I weigh 148 pounds. In Peak Blubber days, circa 2001 (age 17), I weighed approximately 240 pounds. And there was no muscle to speak of.

Over a 10-15 year period, I eradicated nearly 100 pounds of excess mass from my body — and along with it— the shame, disgust, and self-loathing from my mind. 

I don’t talk about this period in my life very often, and it’s frankly a little weird for me to write this. To this day, I’m still ashamed of at least part of the person I used to be. In most ways, I don’t know who that kid was at all.

During Peak Blubber, I didn’t embrace any of the things I write about now that you might find annoying (thanks for reading!): control, delayed gratification, growth mindset, and generally owning my life and future. I was a lost little (or fat, actually) dandelion, blowing in the breeze, letting my routines and choices be influenced by others around me.

I was living like everyone else, and living for anyone but me. And where does that get you? Overweight and probably a little sad.

I will take you back to that time now, for a little taste of a day in the life.

2001

Squealing tires echo throughout the parking garage of the mall as I hurriedly round corner after corner. I’m not late, it’s 3:40 and I’m not due to clock in for work at Chick-fil-A until 4:00. Late May is already disgustingly hot and humid, and the chest strap of my seatbelt has left a diagonal sweat stain across my t-shirt.

To make matters worse, my old Jeep Grand Cherokee, now in its death throes, has a leaky radiator. In a feeble attempt to keep it from overheating, I’m blasting the heat inside the cab with the windows down, and keeping a mixture of water and antifreeze in a repurposed Chick-fil-A peanut oil container on hand in the back seat. Make it work!

I frantically search for the closest parking spot I can find, oblivious to the simple fact that the further spots will only require an extra 100 feet of walking. 

I walk into the employee-only rear door of the Chick-fil-A, where I grab my timecard from the wall and slide it into the machine. I’m now “on the clock,” but the real reason I’m here early is to eat.

Of course, I didn’t carry any snacks to school, and the three pizza slices with ranch dressing I ate for lunch have long since been digested and stored in a glutinous mass in my ever-growing stomach. I exchange a few pleasantries with co-workers, but my true love is sitting there under a heat lamp.

Food to Mouth

I fill a plate with chicken nuggets, a pile of pickles, and waffle fries. Oh my God, I can’t get enough of this stuff. I cover everything in several containers of sugary Polynesian Sauce. The whole episode is over violently in two minutes, and I burp in satisfaction while I wait for the pain of overeating to set in.

I man my post in the kitchen, where I work dutifully throughout the dinner rush. I’m focused and eager to please both my co-workers and managers. I’m determined that no one will be disappointed in me. Hard work is a trait I can embrace from those days.

But throughout the evening, I probably consume the equivalent of two to three more meals as I pick up random pieces of food and mindlessly pluck them in my mouth. 

Fast-Forward

So if you read this website today and are a bit disgusted by my crusade against junk food, television, and herd mentality, now maybe you can understand. I’ve lived on both sides of the fence, and man, the grass is so green on this side. 

So How Did I Do It?

When people find out that I’ve lost so much weight, they inquire of my methods with the implicit assumption that I will respond in two to three words:

“Thanks for asking Susan, my secret is…shhh…intermittent fasting.” 

Unfortunately, I don’t have any easy answers. 

The answer is that I slowly and deliberately changed my life. I learned to find me, and I learned to live differently from almost everyone else around me. 

There was a particular day of reckoning, where I found myself looking in the mirror and grabbing my stretch-marked stomach in rage. I swore from that day on that I would do whatever was necessary to rid myself of the burden I carried. And I did.

I embraced the misty hills and hollows of the Appalachian Mountains, started moving and increasing my activity from something other than zero. Hard physical exertion found a new place in my life, but it didn’t come easy.

I recall pushing my sorry ass up steep trails in the North Carolina summer swelter, sweating, wheezing, and mad as hell. And I usually did it alone, to really double down on that self-loathing. But it got easier with time.

I stopped eating until I hated myself, and instead began experimenting with much smaller portions. It takes surprisingly little to feel satiated, so long as your meals are properly balanced and not anchored in carbs. I’ll get back to that.

It took time to adjust on all fronts.

The Timeline To Being Less Fat

The first 50 pounds slid off like a silk nightgown, in two to three years as I recall. I remember coming home from college on breaks and getting shocked looks from old friends and family. My new “form” drew immediate attention, not something I particularly enjoyed. It was embarrassing but also nicely encouraging. 

I proudly bucked the trend of the “Freshman 15,” losing 30 or more pounds my first year in college. That was kind of a neat little badge.

Like with many lifestyle changes, the low-hanging fruit was ripe for picking. To get from approximately 200 pounds to where I am today was a steady process of learning, taking action, and most importantly, liking an activity a lot. 

I’m a firm believer in this concept: if you get yourself good and obsessed with a physical activity, all that other crap in your life falls dutifully into place. You lose weight, you start eating right, you drink less, you save money. Well, if you’re obsessed with high-end golf, you might not save money.

Let’s see, what else? Your brain is occupied developing technical skills, and you have high-value ways to spend your free time. Man, everyone should be a climber! Just don’t come to my gym and Colorado is full. 😉

(Related Post: Obsession and Performance Don’t Always Mix)

What Do I Eat Now?

When it comes to food, I don’t take too many hardline stances. I’ve never outright eliminated any food groups, and I’ve never followed any trend diets. I’m not paleo, haven’t tried Keto or intermittent fasting. I’m sure as hell not a vegetarian or vegan. 

There’s nothing inherently wrong with a lot of these diet choices, at least in the short term. But man, I don’t do well with rules.

What do I eat? In essence, my diet is 90% built around vegetables and lean protein. If I come to your house and your fridge is loaded with vegetables, we will be friends. Well, maybe.

My diet is not that different from the paleo diet, just less strict. I largely avoid bread, pastas, rice, white potatoes, bagels, and all the other stuff that is well documented to make you fat. Speaking of fat, I eat a lot of it. I eat small ponds of olive oil, vats of whole milk yoghurt, nuts, avocados, and even…yes…butter. 

If there is a food group I valiantly try and avoid, it’s sugar. In fact, combining fat, carbs, and sugar (a typical dessert) is about the worst thing you can put in your body. Is there time for occasional indulgence? Sure, I ate cake in Germany. And if you make me something good, I’ll probably have a slice. See, I’m reasonable.

Key Tips On Getting Less Fat

There’s so much written about food and nutrition out there, and much of it is archaic garbage. Here’s a couple of key recommendations that work for me. Diet and nutrition is highly individualized, so YMMV.

Eat a big breakfast with lots of protein.

Breakfast is by far my most calorie-dense meal of the day. Start the day right.

Not all carbohydrates are equal.

Familiarize yourself with the concept of the glycemic index. If many of your favorite foods fall in the High-GI categories (white bread, white potatoes, white rice, etc.), there’s a problem. They make you fat.

Seek out low-GI carbs with the exception of the narrow window before, during, and after a taxing training session. At these times, your body is primed to process high-GI carbs for energy and subsequent recovery. I’m not an expert, so I’m going to stop before I get in trouble. 

Eat less.

I know you’re a big man with a reputation, but you’re probably not Michael Phelps. You don’t need a 30 ounce steak to get you through the afternoon at your desk job.

Eat often.

I eat something every three hours or so. No meal is particularly big, but I aim for about five small meals a day. Breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner. If I train that day, there might be a bit more, and I’ll probably have a protein shake right before bed.

Don’t eat late.

Your grandma is on to something. We try and eat around 6:00-6:30 PM, and go to bed around 8:30-9:00 PM. I’d eat even earlier if I could. Aim to have your last meal at least two to three hours before hitting the hay, lest that meatloaf will be mixing with your morning Cheerios. Don’t eat Cheerios, by the way.

Eat more protein and fat.

Most American meals are dominated by carbs, and usually the bad high-GI variety. You need not eat a side of beef with every meal, but get creative on ways to enhance protein intake with minimal meat. I use yoghurt, tofu, some beans and lentils, ungodly amounts of eggs, and a lot of canned tuna.

Meat consumption is important to me, but I try to keep it low(ish) for a variety of reasons. Cost is a big one.

I’m sorry, but I think my vegetarian and vegan friends are almost always struggling in this department, and have to make up their protein content with more inefficient carb-heavy or calorie-dense protein options (e.g., tofu and beans). 

Stop being afraid of fat. That’s old news. Eating lots of fat and protein leaves you satiated, and that’s fancy for full. It’s good to feel full. Stay away from trans fats like I stay away from malls. Trans fats are found in processed foods: potato chips, fast food, many frozen items, etc.

I’m in the camp that saturated fats are just fine (butter), so long as you don’t put them directly in your mouth in large spoonful quantities. I’m particularly fascinated with the French Paradox. The French eat tons of saturated fat, but report far lower occurrences of coronary heart disease.

Don’t feel guilty

Embrace a relationship of love with your food. Don’t just shove garbage in your mouth to feel full. If you decide you are going to eat a piece of cheesecake, enjoy that damn piece of cake. Close your eyes and journey to a land of blue skies and blissful cake.

If you swallow every bite in shame and disgust, I believe strongly that there is a mind-body connection, a self-fulfilling prophecy. By thinking “this will make me fat,” it does. See French Paradox above.

And I think it goes without saying that this practice is only to be used in strict moderation.

Embrace individuality.

Again, here’s another tried-and-true Mr. CC theme. It’s cool to make fun of salads with the boys, but have you tried mine? It’s a manly salad, and it’s enormous and delicious. And it’s helping me live a better life than a burger on white bread. Stand out and be weird. 

Eat out much less

If you eat out several times a week and struggle with weight, I can almost guarantee that you will lose weight by cooking your own food. Seriously. Make food with real ingredients, and shop on the perimeter of the store, where fresh vegetables, fruits, and lean sources of protein are shelved.

Simply put, the temptation is far too high to eat too much and diminish nutritional quality when you eat out. Yeah, we’ve written about this before. Eat at home more, and you will save money and lose weight.

Summary

Take a look at these charts provided in this link. Nearly 40% of American adults are obese. 40%!

Much has been written on the causes of American obesity — aggressive fast-food marketing, portion sizes, addictive ingredients — but I still feel that individual behaviors are number one in determining our success in staying on the 60% side of the fence. 

The Struggle

I don’t mean to minimize the struggle of those trying to lose weight and gain control of their life. I know that struggle. It’s a long and arduous journey, but it’s an attainable journey. And it will always be a journey. I still struggle with weight control to this day. If I leave town for a week, I’ll gain multiple pounds, every time. 

And I also realize I took this journey in my late teens through twenties, an age when we can get by with treating our bodies like a landfill. Coming at this from the perspective of someone in their thirties (and beyond) is going to require an extra level of effort. That’s not lost on me, but age shouldn’t be a basis for limiting beliefs either.

I write here about finances, which is another very common American struggle. But being healthy is even harder. We eat multiple times a day. Multiple times a day we must make hard decisions, and on top of that, we must find new time and energy for hard physical exertion. 

You have my support, 100%. Someone trying to go from skinny to skinnier is not motivating for you if you’re trying to lose 50 pounds. There will be a time for that, but you need to pick the low-hanging fruit. As usual, start with awareness and the pieces will begin to fall into place. 

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Thanks guys, see you next week.