Heavy Weight

Hi Doug,

Did you hate being a fat kid? I can remember really hating it. There were never any really good looking husky clothes and everyone was always talking about it. Maybe it was worse at my school because while there were a couple of obese girls, there were no other boys that were even overweight. I'm sure that would be different now. Hell nowadays a kid that size might even be the average.

It was so bad I remember at 12 putting myself on 400 to 800 calories a day (even one balanced evening meal with veggies and nothing afterwards!) and doing repeat sets of high rep overhead presses lifted from the floor (maybe why I don't have back problems in spite of bad scoliosis?). I would do that in front of the TV for 2-3 hours a day - no breaks! Tell me I wasn't disgusted with being fat.

Did you hate it that bad as a kid?

Dave

Hi Dave, Yep, I had it pretty bad as a fat kid. I was almost always the heaviest kid in class and compensated by usually being the strongest. But I'd have given just about anything not to be "different." I got so tired of trying to act like I was okay when people--even my friends and a few relatives--made jokes and stuff. Ugh! And as you noted, by today's standards, I was mostly a chubby guy. Sure I was "fat," but not obese (yet). And i went on and off diets, read Joe Weider's muscle mags, subscribed to Charles Atlas, all the usual stuff boys did to be "real guys." But nothing stuck--I'd backslide and start again until I had a 7 year run of weighing in the 160s during my 20s--and then, onward and upward into the 300s and here I am, a happy, grateful post-op. Being a fat kid is a hard way to grow up. I wish I could spare the kids of today. Here's hoping some healthy nonsurgical fix can be found someday. Well, it's evening here, so good-night and good luck. I always enjoy your posts.

Hey Russ, Thanks for the insights and shared experiences. Also, I think you were wise to post this as a separate item instead of putting it into the earlier weight lifting thread--more guys might see it this way. We're pretty close in starting size (I was 343) and height (I'm 5' 7''). I spent decades (almost 3!) in increasingly poorer shape, so a lot of what you write about hits home. Fortunately, I haven't ever completely plateaued, but I have, as I said before, slowed down. I'll probably should up the cardio and reduce calories (a bit) to reach a more satisfying "rate of loss." But I need to find a formula for me that allows me to continue making good progress in the weight room. After so many years of being big but not strong, getting stronger and healthier means a lot to me. Even so, I may have to reassess this and go for more weight loss and less strength gain. (The old dilemma of losing weight at a good clip without robbing muscles.) You've given me a bunch of good stuff to think about, and I will. And, yes, I concur with Jim: You are full of it, it being good stuff. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and response. Take care.

Way to go Russ!  200# lost is HUGE Gotta admire your dedication to weights!  You're inspiring me to get focused in that area.  I've been doing mostly cardio so far. --Dave from AZ

I started at 8# and worked my way up to 368#. Fat as a kid, fat as a teenager, fat in the army, fat as a young adult and fat right on through to age 50+. In high school, and in the army I rode dirt bikes (boy that is a workout!) but not much of anything else since then. I have managed to get down to 212 this morning and I am at the gym 2 to 3x a week on free weights. My daily job is office work and I don't burn many calories there so the gym is a big step for me. Yesterday, I had some work I needed to get done at home (remodeling the kitchen) and worked my butt off crawling through the attic (couldn't do that a 366#!) pulling electrical lines and re-wiring the lights, rough framing work and placing insulation. I still need to hang the drywall on the ceiling, tape, fill, sand, texture and paint the ceiling. Then I get to lay down a new bamboo floor. I have a meeting for my blacksmith group that I fly out for this afternoon and won't get bac****il late on Sat. I need to get all this work done before my surgery on Aug 20 so I am going to be a busy man. Am I complaining?   NOT AT ALL! If it wasn't for the WLS, and the loss of weight that came with it, I would not have been able to do this work, the last 2 years is a testament to that as this remodel started just over 2 years ago and I have not done ANYTHING on it since it became "usable" The big push to get this work done is due to the fact that we have a company coming out to reface all the cabinets about a week after I get home from the surgery and there is NO way that I can do any of this work AFTER the surgery for a while. I guess what this all comes down to is that yes there have been many changes in my life since WLS and most of them (not the tumor but then again, it was found DUE to complications from the WLS surger) have been VERY POSITIVE. Even the time I spend on the free weights, moving my wimpy little weights compared to the large weights of some of the other rats there. I have received nothing but positive comments from the others at the gym, just the opposite of what I expected, and very positive comments when they find out about the WLS and my 150#+ loss of weight. So get out there, start your new life, take advantage of all the years you have left! You only get one chance in this world to live (though I do believe in an afterlife with a perfect resurected body and have secured my place in it a long time ago! ) Don't let the fear of what others think hold you back, it is only fear, not reality. GO FOR IT!

I love it when you guys just lay it all out there... warts and all.  It's both helpful and inspirational knowing I'm not alone- or COMPLETELY abnormal. Thanks for that, Russ. DD Cute picture Toadlats. You wouldn't even be considered heavy in today's elementary schools.

Great post - love the thing about nothing but walking for 9 months.  I'm walking again, but feeling really small in my upper body - what are these things protruding under my skin - oh yeah, those are shoulder bones!!!!!  For that reason, I'm going to have to hit the weights at the gym more - maybe just 2x per week, but at least something to fill all this extra arm skin I've got hanging around. I've noticed a gradual slowdown of the process as I've been lax in my exercise - so no more!  I'm still eating 800-1000 calories per day, with 90g of protein, <50g of carbs, and <40g of fat.    Hang in there guys, we're the biggest bunch of losers I know!