History and
other tradgedy
other tradgedy
I Was not Always Fat
I was born a “normal” 7 Pounds. I was a regularly proportioned baby. I was actually kind
of gangly at the age of 2 until I reached the age of 5. That was when I started to gain
weight. By the time I was 6 and ready to go to Kindergarten I was getting pretty heavy. I
don’t recall everything going on in my life at that time, but I do remember that every
Saturday, I would accompany my father to our little grocery store, where we would buy a
2 quart box of Ice Cream and go home to make “Malts.” The Ice Cream would be gone
by the end of the day.
Early Interventions
Around the year of 1976, my eldest sister, who was going to start her junior year of High
School, started to be concerned about her “baby fat.” This was a normal thing for a
young woman of the mid seventies. She found an old diet book that my father had
purchased some time prior which explained the low carbohydrate program. Now for those
of you who are not familiar with this plan, you eat very little bread and grain products and
eat meats and eggs and vegetables. It even came with this handy dandy recipe for a bread
type thing made of only eggs. This way of eating doesn’t really strike me as healthy for
an adult, but I was a six year old child being subjected to this plan. I know that my family
meant well, but this was the foundation of my problems with dieting in general.
Packing On Those Pounds
By the time I was in 3rd or 4th grade, I could no longer wear children’s clothing sizes. I
had to get men’s pants and my mother had to hem them for my short legs. This was
costly, so I often ended up getting clothing at a used clothing shop, which carried those
awful weird patterns from the early part of the decade. My self-esteem took quite a
beating over this. Even though, I was still resistant to dieting and ate what I wanted. I was
teased some, but it was nothing compared to what was to follow in the next years. I was in
a very small school in a very small town and was accepted for the most part, as we had all
grown up together. The only thing I remember absolutely dreading from those years was
the annual “track meet” that the grade school had.
Moving Is Hell
Right after my 5th grade year in school, my father took another position in another town.
This town was much larger than the one I had lived in since birth, and I found myself in a
class of 45, where I had been in a class of 8 previously. This town was very focused on
sports. This town was very close knit and did not like to accept outsiders. This town was
a very bad mistake, but I was powerless to change it. Due to my lack of friends and the
coping mechanisms I had already developed, my weight skyrocketed during my 6th, 7th,
and 8th grade years.
Fear Can Be A Motivator
It is amazing, but fear can be a motivator too. I was in the beginning of my senior year of
High School. It was a very exciting time as I was looking forward to getting as far away
from my town and life as possible. When we started ordering our graduation things, the
form said something very silly…. One Size Fits All. All of what? All of whom? The
whole thing made a burning sensation in my stomach that I can still remember. I started
following the 1200 Calorie Diabetic Exchange Diet that I had been given at least 15 copies
of by doctors over the previous years but had, until that point, not really worried about. I
was over 350 pounds at that time, not knowing for sure how much due to the lack of a
scale that read higher. I followed the plan to the very letter and exercised and got down to
250 pounds. It was amazing and was wonderful. The doomsayers did come out. My
own father accused me of starving myself and every time I got a sniffle or anything else it
was due to my weight loss, but I persevered. That fall, I went to college. Studying in all
night restaurants, required food service participation, and the occasional party destroyed all
that I had accomplished.
Jumping Ahead To Success **** For a minute!
After taking what would have been my junior year of college off, I returned with a new
attitude and a resolve for change. I discovered a book in the Self-Help section called
“Love Hunger” by Dr’s Minirth and Meier and followed it’s plan. It is an exchange plan
similar to the one I was already familiar with. I walked each night and over the course of
10 months, was at my goal weight of 190 pounds! Finally, I had reached my goal and was
at a normal weight for the first time in 17 years. I was able to maintain that new found
level for about a minute. I went against the advise of all of the experts and decided that I
was cured and that I didn’t need to follow any sort of maintenance plan. I could do it
alone! HAHA I failed miserably. I went back to my old habits and old ways and thought
fine…I must be destined to be FAT.
Where I Am Now (This was April 2001)
Reality can set in at any time. Denial doesn’t always maintain one for an eternity. I have
once again realized that something needs to change around here. I know that if I am to be
happy and have a fulfilled life full of things and people I want, I will have to do some work
with myself. I used to have the attitude: if someone doesn’t like me for who I am and not
what I look like, then screw them! But, in all reality, I have to admit that due to the way
society is, it is not altogether fair to someone to demand this of them. People just aren’t
that strong for the most part…to subject themselves to ridicule due to a friend. Not to
mention the health problems and expense of medical care that will undoubtedly come due
to being obese.
Where I really was...
August 2001 I decided that I was lonely living in the small town in New Mexico I had
called home for 5 years. I decided to move back to Phoenix, AZ to be near my friends.
Once there I joined Bally's Fitness and continued to go regularly for about 1 month. My
last day at Bally's was September 11, 2001 where I watched the news in New York unfold
while on the treadmill. I started a new job the following Monday and quit going to the
gym. I started eating out regularly with my friends and watched my weight slowly but
steadily creep back up. By mid 2002, I had regained the 185 pounds I had lost and added
a few more on for good measure. By March 2004, I had developed type 2 Diabetes,
hypertension, and high cholesterol. These were all new and all came together. I had been
close to this weight before but had not had problems, but apparently you can really only
temp fate so long.
So, rundown of my weight history:
1969-1976 fairly normal weight.
1976 -1987 Obese (By 6th grade or 12 years of age, I had at least 100 extra pounds)
1987-1988 Had a 100 pound weigh loss in 1987 that lasted until mid 1988
1989-1990 Obese (180 extra pounds)
1991-1992 Had a 210 pound weight loss that lasted until mid 1992.
1992-1999 Obese (220 extra pounds)
2000-2001 Had a 190 pound weight loss that lasted until October 2001.
2002-2005 Obese (200+ extra pounds)
2005-2007 Have lost 200.5 pounds again.
The first weight-loss was with a diabetic exchange diet. The next was poverty mixed
with just watching what I ate and increasing vegetables. The next was a very low fat
and higher carbohydrate exchange diet. I did lose weight and my labs were great
except I still had high triglycerides. And finally this time I have maintained a more
moderate 40% Carbohydrate, 30% Fat, and 30% Protein regimen. For more details
see my "Plan" page.
I was born a “normal” 7 Pounds. I was a regularly proportioned baby. I was actually kind
of gangly at the age of 2 until I reached the age of 5. That was when I started to gain
weight. By the time I was 6 and ready to go to Kindergarten I was getting pretty heavy. I
don’t recall everything going on in my life at that time, but I do remember that every
Saturday, I would accompany my father to our little grocery store, where we would buy a
2 quart box of Ice Cream and go home to make “Malts.” The Ice Cream would be gone
by the end of the day.
Early Interventions
Around the year of 1976, my eldest sister, who was going to start her junior year of High
School, started to be concerned about her “baby fat.” This was a normal thing for a
young woman of the mid seventies. She found an old diet book that my father had
purchased some time prior which explained the low carbohydrate program. Now for those
of you who are not familiar with this plan, you eat very little bread and grain products and
eat meats and eggs and vegetables. It even came with this handy dandy recipe for a bread
type thing made of only eggs. This way of eating doesn’t really strike me as healthy for
an adult, but I was a six year old child being subjected to this plan. I know that my family
meant well, but this was the foundation of my problems with dieting in general.
Packing On Those Pounds
By the time I was in 3rd or 4th grade, I could no longer wear children’s clothing sizes. I
had to get men’s pants and my mother had to hem them for my short legs. This was
costly, so I often ended up getting clothing at a used clothing shop, which carried those
awful weird patterns from the early part of the decade. My self-esteem took quite a
beating over this. Even though, I was still resistant to dieting and ate what I wanted. I was
teased some, but it was nothing compared to what was to follow in the next years. I was in
a very small school in a very small town and was accepted for the most part, as we had all
grown up together. The only thing I remember absolutely dreading from those years was
the annual “track meet” that the grade school had.
Moving Is Hell
Right after my 5th grade year in school, my father took another position in another town.
This town was much larger than the one I had lived in since birth, and I found myself in a
class of 45, where I had been in a class of 8 previously. This town was very focused on
sports. This town was very close knit and did not like to accept outsiders. This town was
a very bad mistake, but I was powerless to change it. Due to my lack of friends and the
coping mechanisms I had already developed, my weight skyrocketed during my 6th, 7th,
and 8th grade years.
Fear Can Be A Motivator
It is amazing, but fear can be a motivator too. I was in the beginning of my senior year of
High School. It was a very exciting time as I was looking forward to getting as far away
from my town and life as possible. When we started ordering our graduation things, the
form said something very silly…. One Size Fits All. All of what? All of whom? The
whole thing made a burning sensation in my stomach that I can still remember. I started
following the 1200 Calorie Diabetic Exchange Diet that I had been given at least 15 copies
of by doctors over the previous years but had, until that point, not really worried about. I
was over 350 pounds at that time, not knowing for sure how much due to the lack of a
scale that read higher. I followed the plan to the very letter and exercised and got down to
250 pounds. It was amazing and was wonderful. The doomsayers did come out. My
own father accused me of starving myself and every time I got a sniffle or anything else it
was due to my weight loss, but I persevered. That fall, I went to college. Studying in all
night restaurants, required food service participation, and the occasional party destroyed all
that I had accomplished.
Jumping Ahead To Success **** For a minute!
After taking what would have been my junior year of college off, I returned with a new
attitude and a resolve for change. I discovered a book in the Self-Help section called
“Love Hunger” by Dr’s Minirth and Meier and followed it’s plan. It is an exchange plan
similar to the one I was already familiar with. I walked each night and over the course of
10 months, was at my goal weight of 190 pounds! Finally, I had reached my goal and was
at a normal weight for the first time in 17 years. I was able to maintain that new found
level for about a minute. I went against the advise of all of the experts and decided that I
was cured and that I didn’t need to follow any sort of maintenance plan. I could do it
alone! HAHA I failed miserably. I went back to my old habits and old ways and thought
fine…I must be destined to be FAT.
Where I Am Now (This was April 2001)
Reality can set in at any time. Denial doesn’t always maintain one for an eternity. I have
once again realized that something needs to change around here. I know that if I am to be
happy and have a fulfilled life full of things and people I want, I will have to do some work
with myself. I used to have the attitude: if someone doesn’t like me for who I am and not
what I look like, then screw them! But, in all reality, I have to admit that due to the way
society is, it is not altogether fair to someone to demand this of them. People just aren’t
that strong for the most part…to subject themselves to ridicule due to a friend. Not to
mention the health problems and expense of medical care that will undoubtedly come due
to being obese.
Where I really was...
August 2001 I decided that I was lonely living in the small town in New Mexico I had
called home for 5 years. I decided to move back to Phoenix, AZ to be near my friends.
Once there I joined Bally's Fitness and continued to go regularly for about 1 month. My
last day at Bally's was September 11, 2001 where I watched the news in New York unfold
while on the treadmill. I started a new job the following Monday and quit going to the
gym. I started eating out regularly with my friends and watched my weight slowly but
steadily creep back up. By mid 2002, I had regained the 185 pounds I had lost and added
a few more on for good measure. By March 2004, I had developed type 2 Diabetes,
hypertension, and high cholesterol. These were all new and all came together. I had been
close to this weight before but had not had problems, but apparently you can really only
temp fate so long.
So, rundown of my weight history:
1969-1976 fairly normal weight.
1976 -1987 Obese (By 6th grade or 12 years of age, I had at least 100 extra pounds)
1987-1988 Had a 100 pound weigh loss in 1987 that lasted until mid 1988
1989-1990 Obese (180 extra pounds)
1991-1992 Had a 210 pound weight loss that lasted until mid 1992.
1992-1999 Obese (220 extra pounds)
2000-2001 Had a 190 pound weight loss that lasted until October 2001.
2002-2005 Obese (200+ extra pounds)
2005-2007 Have lost 200.5 pounds again.
The first weight-loss was with a diabetic exchange diet. The next was poverty mixed
with just watching what I ate and increasing vegetables. The next was a very low fat
and higher carbohydrate exchange diet. I did lose weight and my labs were great
except I still had high triglycerides. And finally this time I have maintained a more
moderate 40% Carbohydrate, 30% Fat, and 30% Protein regimen. For more details
see my "Plan" page.
See what I mean by yo-yo? Click on the photos to
see them in original size. Below is the 'history' section
from my old site. Like the name of my site indicates, I
should be the crowned Prince of yo-yo diets. I am
hoping to use this site and the support of my friends
and family to help me break my 7 year cycle.
see them in original size. Below is the 'history' section
from my old site. Like the name of my site indicates, I
should be the crowned Prince of yo-yo diets. I am
hoping to use this site and the support of my friends
and family to help me break my 7 year cycle.
1970
1999
2001
2001
2004
1991
2007
Me in 2007 (red) and in 2001
(yellow), back in the same
shorts.
(yellow), back in the same
shorts.
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