Confessions of an Ex-Fat Person

myfitnesspal (Photo credit: oklanica)

Quite often, ex-smokers become the most vocal and ardent opponents of smoking.  I suppose that is understandable as they finally came to realize just how harmful their habit is and they want to, for lack of a better term, evangelize others to their side.  Still, it is almost like they have become too judgmental in their quest to get others to quit.

This morning, I hit two milestones in my use of MyFitnessPal in my weight loss goals.  First, I have logged into the app for 100 straight days.  Second, when I weighed in this morning, I hit the 40 pounds lost mark.  I now weight 190 pounds for the first time in years.   I still want to lose at least 10 pounds more, and perhaps another 20.  We will see how I feel once I get down to 180 pounds.

Hitting those goals is great for me from a mental point of view.  Continuing to see progress helps to keep me motivated to keep going.  But maybe more important than that is the reactions of some family members that I saw on Thursday that I had not seen in several weeks.  Their comments only further enforce in my mind that I am on the right path.

My youngest brother, who has never had a weight problem, asked me how much weight I lost.  When I told him, he said that pretty soon I would weigh less than him.  Right now, I am only 16 pounds heavier than he is.  My sister told me that I needed to go out and get all new clothes, which I don't want to do until I have finished losing.  My mother said I was now too skinny.  According to the BMI charts, 175 pounds is the upper limit for a "healthy" weight for me, which is why I may want to get down to 170.

Obesity Campaign Poster (Photo credit: Pressbound)

Later that night, my wife and I were attending the Bowie Baysox game.  As an aside, the Baysox won the game thus clinching a spot in the playoffs which begin next week.  At the game, we saw my brother-in-law and my father-in-law.  My brother-in-law told me he almost didn't recognize me.  My father-in-law asked about my weight loss and complimented me on doing so.

So what does the vocal ex-smoker's crusade against smoking have to do with my weight loss quest?  Thursday night, I had thoughts that entered my mind that made me think I may be becoming the same thing, only towards fat people.  As I sat in my seat at the game, I looked around and saw so many overweight people, many who were much larger than I was when I started.  I thought to myself, "My God! We do have an obesity problem in this country."

One thing that I will never do is be an advocate of the government stepping in and mandating behaviors in the quest of helping people. From my own experience, one must be mentally prepared to make the changes needed to lose weight.  For years I knew I was too heavy and needed to lose weight but just couldn't bring myself to do so. Education is the key to being able to make the right decisions to eat healthy.  It is one of the reasons I am such a fan of MyFitnessPal on my phone.  Having caloric information at my fingertips helps me to make wise food choices on a daily basis.

I have to confess that I was somewhat ashamed at myself for the thought because it was tinged with a touch of judgmentalism rather than thoughts of "there but by the grace of God go I."  It is one thing to make the observation about the obesity problem, it is another to think ill of those who need a change in their lives.  I never thought I would be that guy.  I also know that I could easily slip back into the behaviors that caused me get fat in the first place.  I hope that the realization that I have had those negative thoughts will help me to put them behind me.  I would much rather encourage and understand where others are at.

I haven't posted at DudeWrite for a while, so I am going to post this there as well.  If you haven't already, you should really check them out to see blog posts from other bloggers who happen to be dudes.  Read the posts and go back to the vote for your favorites.

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