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One woman's (sometimes whiny, sometimes inspirational, and almost always begrudging) journey from morbidly obese to merely overweight; come along for the ride, why don't you?

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331-pound Italian man told to get MRI at ‘facilities for large animals’

An Italian patient was turned away from his local hospital for being too fat — and told to seek treatment where "they have facilities for large animals."

I DO wonder if it was actually said this way, or the doctors were looking for alternatives to get an MRI completed.  As a (some might say very) fat person, I get that there is a certain level of sensitivity a physician should show... The flip-side, however, is taking ownership of the fact that allowing yourself to reach a certain size does mean that you will find yourself facing difficulties that others may not. There is a reason things like Bariatric ambulances, chairs, beds, etc. exist... but they're not to be expected and yes, as our frames increase, our access to simple facilities may decrease in proportion.  I saw this as I began to tip the scales at nearly 300 lbs.  Things like CHAIRS became the enemy. CHAIRS!  The thing is, when you find yourself unable to sit in a chair without it standing along with you... that is a problem.  I hope this man is able to get the treatment he needs and is able to see that his current state is unsustainable.   What I hope DOESN'T happen is that the world is so focused on a "mean" treatment provider that bariatric equipment becomes the norm and we come to a place where superhuman size is now considered the "norm".  I've discussed fatflictions in the past (here and here), and I think - to truly be healthy - we need to take complete ownership of the fact that our fat is NOT a disability. Yes, we may have health problems caused by our fat, but those are within our control.    It is unfortunate that many fatflictions may not abate once we've made the decision to get healthier, much like an alcoholic whose liver is already decimated. But, much like the alcoholic, we can't blame others for the health issues we've brought on ourselves.   This does not mean that individuals should be shamed into thinking "Why bother?" -- what it DOES mean, though, is that maybe we should be listening to the doctors, nurses, and countless medical professionals who say to us, "You know what? This is a problem"... and do what we can to address it.  Who knows? Maybe this man is.  My concern is less about him and more about the possible reaction to this article. 

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5 Insane New Weight Loss Methods You Won't Believe Are Legal

These all sound like bizarre torture methods you'd find in a sci-fi flick....

...And yet, here they are...legal, because we're so desperate to do something, anything, that doesn't involve modulating our own behavior!    What is even MORE frightening than the fact that these things exist is the fact that there are desperate people out there who'll turn to them. Somehow, it makes Dr. Oz's claims of a miracle cure slightly less offensive. Only slightly, though. 

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Slow Progress is STILL progress...

10 months in to my journey, I've lost 50 lbs. This is the half-way mark to my original goal of 100 lbs in a year, but I've realized that I might have been a bit unrealistic.  This is not to say that continuing balls-to-the-wall isn't possible... just that, for someone like me, it's not probable.   

I'm not making excuses, it's just that I had to sit down and examine what was I could do that is sustainable for the next 50 or so years I've got on this planet.    Yes, I could exercise more...but then I'd hate it. Why? Because 10 hours of my day are eaten up by my day job and the other bits of spare waking time, I've got life to attend to.   I think the fitspo pictures that cry out "don't FIND time, MAKE time" are wonderful -- but, for someone like me, that additional time is a luxury I don't really want to spend miserably at the gym -- and yes, I would be miserable at a gym. The option, then, would be to dramatically reduce my calories -- which would serve the same purpose but also  be unsustainable. Therefore, I've found a 'sweet spot' of reduced calories (approx 1450) and increased movement in my daily activity that is still an improvement from where I was a year ago - even if it's not where your average fitblr seems to reside. In addition to my day job, I also run a videography business that eats up my weekends -- I get a great workout running around with a camera during event days, but on weekends I'm not AT an event, I'm editing an event - and that leaves 2 whole days of basement-dwelling in a dark editing room, perfecting the final touches on someone's big day.  

The added required activity of summer - the digging, planting, weeding, mowing, etc... is helping me ramp up again on my activity, which is great. This has pushed me out of an approximately 2 month-long plateau.  

I guess what I'm saying is that I've not given up... I've just scaled back. This whole journey is about discovering a realistic, sustainable, option for preventing me from ever getting back to where I was.  I'm happy now to continue making progress, even if it's slower than I'd originally planned. After all, slow progress is still SOME progress, right?

(Photo credit: foshydog / Foter /  (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

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A legend, an inspiration for us all. 

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It's not about budget...it's about TASTE.

I am so sick of people wearing terrible clothing and blaming it on budget or size.  I get that everyone's style is different, but this habit of putting one's self out in public, braless, in ill-fitting stretch pants and an unsupportive tank top at a family celebration, claiming that "I've gained weight, so I..." doesn't cut it for me.   Yes, I've written a piece about avoiding judgment based on appearances in the past  - but this is not about whether or not someone dresses outside of societal expectations... this is about understanding what is flattering and what isn't - and making the choice to present yourself based on that. I am fat. I have, pretty much, always been fat - and one thing my mother did as I was growing up was ensure that I dressed for my size and the circumstances in which I would find myself. Obviously, if I was lounging in the backyard, my ensemble would be quite different than that I chose for a family gathering.  It SEEMS like common sense, right?

What I hear so often, though, is that "I don't have money to go out and buy..." from women who'll pick up a pair of stretch pants and a t-shirt for any and every occasion. As someone who's spent a large portion of their life shopping at the thrift store, I know what it means to be on a strict clothing budget.  But you know what's ALSO on the racks at the thrift store/Wal-Mart/Family Dollar/Target? Clothes that fit.  Khakis, cargos, capris, button-down shirts, henleys, you name it - they're there! Not only that...they, pretty much, cost the same.   My thing is, if you're going to present sloppily - ADMIT it's because you just don't care about your presentation. Admit that you chose not to present in a way that is flattering. For the love of all that is good and holy, however, stop blaming your size.  Yes, I'm irritated. Yes, I may be a little more upset than I should be... but, quite frankly, I feel like it makes the rest of us look bad.  So, moving forward, don't claim that you're in housecleaning clothes at a graduation party because you've gained a few pounds... admit that there are clothes out there that fit - YOU just aren't buying them.

(Photo credit: brendan-c / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

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5 Details They Cut from My Season of 'The Biggest Loser'

Cracked talked to 'The Biggest Loser' Season 3 runner-up Kai Hibbard, who told us that behind the hasty weight loss, trumped-up drama, and dramatic music, there lurked a dark side.

Another example of how this show creates a completely unrealistic expectation for what can and should be accomplished by the human body. Why do people still watch - and why is it still on the air? 

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Getting Inspiration from the "Usetabes"

My new favorite group of people is The Usetabes... that is, those people you discover in your day to day life that used to be fat.  No, not the ones who lost20poundsandneedtotelleveryoneonearthaboutitnow...  Not people a year out from a gastric bypass who show you their pre- and post-surgery selfies*... no, people who, legitimately struggled with carrying a significant amount of weight and managed, through effort and a focus on health, to put it in their rear-view mirror. 

Yesterday while on break at work, I was chatting with one of my employees and another rep who both shared in casual conversation that they both once tipped the scales at proportions even larger than my own (for their height).  I found them inspirational because they spoke so simply about the epiphanies that lead them to get healthier -and the hard work it took to get them there. 

What I love so much about the Usetabes that I talk with is the length of time they've put between themselves and their prior state of disrepair. In addition, the non-preachy way they discuss their journeys is something folks like me can actually learn from.  They share their stories when asked, but don't pipe in with, "You should... ", "What you have to do is...", "THIS is what you should try..." every time someone mentions wanting to drop a few pounds.  Why? Because they used to be that person who jumped on every tip, trend and hyperdiet that came about and discovered that the only way to really do it is to do it right.

With that said, I'll continue to take inspiration from their journeys so that some day, I  can be a Usetabe, too!

* Note: I am not saying gastric bypass/lap bands are wrong - many people need them to save their lives. However, the dramatic weight loss of a surgery isn't always followed-up by a healthier lifestyle so a post-surgery shift in size doesn't exactly portend a fitness journey (to me). 

(Photo credit: krissen / Foter / (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

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Ahhh, the natural workout!

Ahhh, the natural workout - aka: Yard Cleanup!    Yesterday, I was tasked with cleaning up the front yard for the wife's intended planting. This involved buying and hauling five 40-lb. bags of gardening soil to the front and clearing out what I can only imagine was once a rock garden (seriously - the mini-boulders I found under the old dirt were insane!).  While I'm not a fan of dirty hands, I DID enjoy the benefit of an all-natural workout that involved digging, and subsequently carrying to the back yard, approximately twelve 40-lb. totes of excess soil. 

Now I wouldn't recommend this for someone totally out of shape - but for someone like myself who's moderately fit but lazy...this is fabulous!  My friend DID offer me her wheelbarrow and when I said, "Nah, it's a good workout...", her response was, "...and we all know how much you love to workout!"   But, in cases like these - I actually do. 

My thing is, I hate working out for workout's sake. I will never, ever, ever, be one of those people who get on a treadmill/go for a run/go to a yoga class intentionally.   Stuff like this, however, with a purpose, I can do gladly. To me, it just makes sense.  I don't know why I am so opposed to the forced workout, but I just am... and I'm sure it's a big reason behind my late-winter plateau. 

So-o, hooray for digging, planting and mowing - physical activity that makes sense for me!

(Photo credit: waitscm / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

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5 Insane Realities Behind the Scenes of a Weight Loss Ad

I did something far worse, and of my own volition. I lied, I abused my body, and I psychologically abused thousands of others. That's right: I was in a weight loss infomercial.

What a great exploration of the real experience - without being downright preachy!  I've examined its effects on people previously - but this is a perspective from the INSIDE!

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Just think...during the heyday of each of these, someone thought, "Oh, that's a good idea!"   How about, instead of dieting... ya know, just stop eating crap and love your body enough to fuel it?

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Don't Beat Yourself Up Over a Bunny...

In an attempt to move so many children away from baskets full of candy, parents have moved on to making Easter a mini-Christmas with baskets full of toys and movies, etc.   While I think it's not necessarily a bad thing to discourage gluttony, I think shoving more things in a child's face simply encourages a different kind of gluttony.... but that's my opinion.

However, what's more disturbing is the recent infographic working its way around social media - the "If you eat X candy, you have to do X exercise..." - almost always posted by a woman.  This disturbs me because it pre-shames anyone who wants to enjoy some f*cking candy, and I can imagine myself in a more control-freaky period using that as a reference guide:  "I ate a bunny, gotta bike 30 miles now!"  "Oh my god! 23 jelly beans in the last 2 days! If you need me, I'll be in the basement doing jumping jacks until my legs are jelly, too!" 

Look, I get it - Don't binge on a basket of chocolates while crying about your weight in the corner of your in-law's house.   However, if part of becoming a truly healthy individual is examining one's relationship with food - it's these little things that get out of hand.  If you want that hollow chocolate bunny, then eat it, enjoy it and let it go. One bunny does not equal complete failure.  This concept that you either absolutely can or absolutely can't enjoy something that happens to be a treat is absurd and leads to a crushing sense of failure whenever the "normal people" enjoy treats as *gasp* treats.

The key to becoming healthy is not in cutting everything out of your life entirely - it's in the understanding that some things are there as treats and knowing how to balance that with the rest of your focus.  That, my friends, is the difference between being on a diet and a lifestyle. 

(Photo credit: dongga BS / Foter / (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

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University of Rhode Island students have created a great page to try to combat the self-esteem issues that are a part of life as a young person these days - Be True, Be You .   Take a second to watch the video!