There. I said it.
I knew I’d gained some weight, and today I went to Kohl’s to take advantage of a sale they’re having right now. I walked out with a card for my friend’s daughter’s graduation, because while I did find some shirts that fit, they were from the large sizes department, and I refuse to cave to this.
must…eat…less…and…exercise…more…
that made me think of an episode of This American Life that recently re-ran, with stories about fat people. it’s pretty good.
you know, you deserve a shirt that fits no matter what size you are. also pants that aren’t painful.
I think it’s interesting how our own brains fool or deludes us to spare our feelings. I never really feel like I’m fat, even looking in a mirror, but then I see a photograph of myself next to other people and I feel shocked that I’m a huge monster. For the record, Im overweight but not obese.
I mostly wear L. L. Bean pants, and earlier this year accidentally ordered some that were “a size too big”. They fit now. 
I usually buy my kitty litter in 40-pound bags, and know that I’m carrying more unnecessary weight than that around with me all the time. Today’s shopping trip was a real wake-up call.
It’s been quite a while since I could fasten my pants without lying down.
Me too!
I generally have issue with losing weight for its own sake (as opposed to engaging in healthy behaviors) but I’m seriously rethinking that position lately. It’s less about vanity and more because I’m in a lot of pain.
Me too. But I don’t care.
From the waist down, I’m like Phil Fuckin’ Mahre (and his Goddamn brother), and arms like tree trunks. Well, maybe strong branches.
Nice beer gut to round it all out. Fuck it. I’m happy.
Weight slowly crept up on me for years. Not more than a pound or two a year, but it took a quarter of a century after my discharge from the service before it dawned on me I’ve gotten badly out of shape. That river in Africa is a beyotch. I’ve tried to lose weight a number of times since that realization, but any weight I lost I’ve ended up gaining back and then some. It’s discouraging.
I heard that on Sunday. The first part is quite entertaining!
Since no one else is saying it, good for you for recognizing the problem and good luck in your future endeavors to correct it!
Other than job searching, losing weight (and keeping it off) is probably one of the hardest things for someone to do, it’s a lot of hard work, but the end results are definitely worth it.
You can do it!
Obligatory music video for the thread.
By the way, a health scare (best if it’s a false alarm) is terrific incentive to start seriously losing weight.
I have a hobby and also volunteer work where I do a lot of up and down bending, and my thighs are perpetually sore. I know it’s because they’re handling more weight than they’re made for.
FTR, I’m 5’7" and approximately 200 pounds. :eek: I never though I’d ever cross that weight threshold unless I was, like, 9 months pregnant with twins or something. (Never had kids, BTW.)
I just scheduled a consultation with a personal trainer. It has become all too clear that I’m not entirely self-driven around this issue. But I’ve always done well when I had accountability.
Another fatty checking in. I’m north of 18 stone (260 lbs). Still, I used to be near 20 stone. :eek:
Congrats on the revelation, but as to your last comment: focus more on the eat less part rather than the exercise more. Exercise is great for your health, but it’s much less effective for weight loss than reducing your calorie intake, in my experience. I’m pretty fit and I only exercise 20 minutes a day - I’ve kept off the weight I lost eight years ago by keeping my calorie (and sugar) intake down.
Mrs. J. tells me she overheard an overweight guy telling a trainer at the fitness center that he was frustrated because he’d restricted his diet but wasn’t losing weight.
It came out that he was being restrained at mealtime, but couldn’t see why he might need to do something about his daily allotment of doughnuts and ice cream. :dubious:
Just based on experience, you can do a lot in just 20 minutes a day, assuming your exercise is intense enough. At my most fit (able to do 100 push-ups) I exercised between 20-30 minutes a day, mostly HIIT, free weights, and body weight stuff. Exercise is critical for a lot of reasons but people tend to overestimate how much they need to do in their quest to lose weight.
For most of my life I was underweight, as the BMI is measured, until around 35 when I got an unexpected pudge. It never changed, but was everpresent, and immediately pushed me towards the upper BMI scale. Then at around 45, only a couple of years ago, it happened again, a short burst of additional pudge pushing me even further over.
Annoyingly the rest of me remains thin and angular, so I still have skinny limbs and visible ribs, and even bony hips, but right in the middle is a belly that occasionally goes on an expansion binge. Makes buying pants that fit a real struggle.
I could probably fight it with fitness, but I don’t have the tenacity. Compared to some people my age I don’t look so bad (aside from bad posture and drop shoulders, which I’ve always had, sigh) so I mustn’t grumble.
This is almost me to a T. I used to be super skinny, but as I’ve gotten older my metabolism has slowed, but not by a whole lot. I have a skinny/lanky build, but I have a damn spare tire around my stomach that I just can’t seem to lose.
Can I say I’m not fat…but am always absolutely paranoid I will return to such a state? Cause I was fat as a kid and a part of my adult life. My Weight fluctuated by 50 pounds up and down all the time. I weigh myself 2-3 times a day, exercise like a monster and eat fairly well. I barely maintain an ideal weight…it frightens me the day I have to stop exercising. I usually think I’m fat everytime I look in the mirror. Especially my face.