Come in, hang out, be inspired (hopefully).

Welcome one and all to The Diary of a Chunky White Guy. I hope this blog will keep me inspired in my weight loss goals, but I also hope to help others who are struggling with their weight, whether they're ten pounds or two hundred overweight. I'm not a doctor, and I'm not a psychologist, but perhaps by posting my struggles, victories and viewpoints, I can make a difference in someone's life.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Okay, you asked for it.

Well, hello there. Don't you look fancy today? Please, come in, sit down. Yes you, the one with the great smile and aura of awesome around you. I like your shoes. And that shirt/blouse/dress/sport coat/bathrobe/dirty T-Shirt you're wearing looks great on you. Welcome to the first entry in my Diary of a Chunky Guy. I hope you can be enlightened, entertained or inspired by my journey. Perhaps all three.

So, here we go. My name is Casey. I'm interested in acting, movies, books, video games and an assortment of other things. I love to make people smile, I enjoy being around people, I have a wonderful family and have managed to amass lots of people whose company I enjoy, and who hopefully enjoy mine. I consider myself a good guy, and a great friend. I'm always there to lend a hand or an ear to someone who needs me, and I wear a 30's era newsboy cap like no one's business. But I'm also something else:

Obese.

Or in medical terms "morbidly obese". I've been that way for most of my life. The last time I remember not really being overweight was in second grade. I hit third grade and I just started packing on the pounds. I've had a lifelong struggle with my weight...well, not really. It hasn't been a struggle. I've pretty much just been overweight and accepted that there wasn't much I could do about it. I blamed genetics mostly, as pretty much everyone on my dad's side of the family were large folks. I tried a couple of times over the years to lose weight but it always seemed to be a futile effort in the end.

Now, I've never been a "woe is me, I'm overweight so I can't do anything I'm so quiet and withdrawn" types. I never really wallowed in my largeness, I just accepted it as part of who I was. I've always loved people. I got involved with acting in the tenth grade, and have been getting up in front of people to make them laugh and smile for longer than that. Other than my confidence around women, my weight never really bothered me that much. I'm not sure why it didn't, but it just never did.

Then I turned 30.

I swear the day after my 30th birthday, I woke up and thought, "Jeez..why does my knee hurt? And why is my back all sore, and what's wrong with my foot? My elbow burns when I bend it, and my neck is all stiff. What the crap is wrong?"

Apparently when you turn 30 your body starts to turn against you, like a cute pet monkey you've kept in a cage their whole life who suddenly, one day decides to rip your face off. I've noticed a slow decline in my otherwise pretty normal functions. I've always been fairly mobile for a large fellow, and capable of swift movement or acts of pseudo agility when needed. I used to do a bit where I would walk and trip myself just to make someone laugh. I also took a Judo class in 2000 and could do a front roll after taking two steps forward. If I tried either of those things now, I'm afraid I'd break my face.

Also, I've noticed myself silently asking "Is it okay for me to sit in that chair?" on many occasions and also hoping when going out with friends "I hope we get a table, 'cause it's really hard for me to fit in a booth."

This is...unacceptable.

We have one body, one life, one chance at happiness and fulfillment, and I've squandered mine long enough. I've taken the greatest gift that is given to us, our body, and basically neglected and abused it to the point where it's starting to turn on me. This is no way to live, and it stops as of today. Well, okay it stopped as of August 1st, but I'm just getting around to posting this blog.

I refuse to accept that this is the way life has to be. I refuse to continue to put my life in jeopardy because of gross neglect. It ends now.

My hope for this blog is to keep myself motivated, share any knowledge that I obtain and help others who are struggling with their weight. If I can do this, anyone can.

How will I go about losing this weight? Here are Casey's Ten Commandments.

1. No Fast Food. None. Never. (not even tasty tasty McBreakfasts)
2. No Soda. Not Even Diet If I Can Help It.
3. No Junk Food. (Oof. I like doughnuts)
4. No Fried Food. (sob. this one stings)
5. Eat More Vegetables and Leafy Stuff.
6. Portion Control, Portion Control, Portion Control.
7. Read The Labels On What I Eat. Be Aware Of What's Going Into My Body.
8. Exercise Every Day. Every. Day.
9. Learn The Joy Of Healthy Cooking
10. If I Mess Up One Of These Rules, Don't Get Discouraged. Strive To Be Better.

So that's my game plan folks. I'm not dieting, I'm talking about a complete lifestyle change. It's going to be hard. Really hard. But if I expect to reverse the direction my life is headed, I have to jump into it full force, full speed ahead. I end this blog with a quote by Theodore Roosevelt:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

I'm ready to dare greatly. It's going to be one helluva ride. Let's do this.

12 comments:

  1. Awesome, Casey. You'll do well in this because you're ready to give it your all. I look forward to reading many more.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your public loves you...you are fantastical!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You can do it man! You are off to a good start, you have a plan. Good luck

    ReplyDelete
  4. I understand how you feel with your battle with weight. Being physically unable to exercise the way I would like to makes it hard for me to lose weight. I am only allowed to do non-weight bearing exercises. Swimming is about all that I can do and that is limited to just the summer.

    Anyhow, I am rooting for you. Love your Ten Commandments!!! Will be watching and reading how things go. Love ya, Mom

    ReplyDelete
  5. Awesome start! Be diligent in updating this. It will make a fantastic memoir of your journey.

    Only thing I would maybe disagree with in your 10 commandments is exercising everyday. Do some research on it, but it has always been my understanding of things I have read over the years...that its better to skip a day in order for your muscles to heal and strengthen. Less chance of injury that way.

    Research it though. I could be wrong.
    Love ya

    ReplyDelete
  6. I would add one thing: Get sufficient rest. I know it sounds sort of anticlimactic but when you are better rested your body digests food better. Plus, you are more likely to crave the unhealthy carbs when you are tired or run down, and your id is more likely to gain control of your decision-making when you are half asleep.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Corey's right. You do need to let your muscles rest, but you can do that by not exercising the same muscle group two days in a row. It may be wise to take a day off here and there so that you don't become burned out and feel resentful about exercising all the time, though.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Casey, I'm so inspired by you and I just know that you're going to pull this off. Even though I lost a lot of weight, I have been falling into the same bad habits that got me in trouble in the first place. I need to turn them around before it goes too far and I gain all that weight back. Seeing you and Jeff work so hard to make changes has made it 100% easier for me to do it, too. I like your blog, can't wait for more posts!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am so proud of you! Here is another thing to remember, "Sometimes the battles are not won by the strongest or fastest man, but the one who wins in the end, is the one who thinks he can." One of my favorite endings to a poem. Love ya! I look forward to all of your updates and all of your encouragement for me. :-))

    ReplyDelete
  10. Casey this is WONDERFUL!!! I'm gonna read your blog as often as I can, which is every day! I think this is something you will conquer Casey! And you'll make us laugh the whole way down the scale!! I think your amazing and kind just the way you are which is why losing all that weight is even MORE important....that way we'll get to keep you around for many, many more years! I will also share this with several people in my life that I love who are battling with their weight. I hope you will not only inspire them but help me to lose the extra 30 pounds I'm carrying around. It's hard to be active with my injury, but maybe a food journal will help. Congratulations Casey....you are making the best decision of your life!! WE LOVE AND SUPPORT YOU!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Fantastic, Casey. Not only is this a great and worthwhile journey for you, but your writing is something you should be proud of too. Keep it up!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yeah for you, Casey! It's hard enough to come to this type of decision, but to then put it all out there for the world to see, very brave, man!

    I wanted to point you in the direction of a book that's really changed my way of thinking a lot: Health at Every Size. (http://www.amazon.com/Health-At-Every-Size-Surprising/dp/1935618253/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282153448&sr=8-1)

    It's clearly aimed at women (aren't most weight books?), but it's unique in that it focuses on a healthy lifestyle and not the number on the scale. A lot of what you've said is echoed in the book. It also has a section on re-learning the signals your body gives you, so you only eat when you're actually hungry and don't overeat.

    Good luck and I'll be catching up on the blog today! :)

    ReplyDelete

Please leave your comments below. If you're mean, I will spend all of my free time trying to make your head spontaneously combust.