Introductory Post

I don't fit the typical stereotype of a fat person. I've generally exercised for most of my adult life; as a young adult I mostly jogged, swam, and played some pickup football and volleyball. I continued jogging at the University of Houston, often circling the campus late at night, until one day one of a couple of passing cyclists unexpectedly punched my face, swelling my left eye. I eventually transitioned to a mixed weight training/stationary bike riding (or stair climbing) at the campus fitness center; I have also owned stationary bikes at home. After leaving academia, I joined a Bally's Fitness center in the Chicago suburbs in the middle 1990's and have maintained my membership since then (although my frequency of workouts has been affected by long commutes to DC or northern Virginia or out-of-town business trips).

My mom will tell you I was not overweight as a kid; given 6 younger siblings and my dad's limited income (as an enlisted Air Force NCO), I did get enough to eat, but Mom had strict rules about eating between mealtimes and we generally didn't have soda pop or ice cream on a regular basis.

There has been some history of overweight people, especially on my dad's side of the family. So I'm not surprised that maintaining my weight has been a struggle all my adult life. The first real issue was the infamous "freshman 15"; this tendency of college freshman to gain weight is so notorious there are even dedicated websites to the concept. I think in my case it was aggravated by the fact I was doing work-study at the college cafeteria. I then began a lifelong pattern, like most dieters, of yo-yoing. I do recall at one point dropping 75 pounds during undergraduate school. At slightly below average height, I found myself oscillating between 165 to 190 lbs., although by the time I was at Houston, it was a struggle trying to remain near 200 lbs. The time I ballooned to 300 was during a commute and later short-term move to California in the late 1990's (Bally's at the time had no facilities in the San Jose area).

In terms of diet and exercise, I mostly cooked for myself, and to be honest things like chips, baked/packaged goods (e.g., cookies), and ice cream were never really a regular part of my shopping list. How did I manage to gain as much as I have? I have a few hypotheses: (1) portion control; (2) inconsistent exercise (especially with heavy travel and commute schedules); (3) poor dietary choices at work or during travel (e.g., pizza is a well-known staple for IT professionals during business meals: too many carbohydrates); (4) slowing metabolism as a result of aging; and (5) a previously undiagnosed underactive thyroid condition (in fact, my doctor had to raise the dosage of synthroid at least 3 times).

But for those people whom think that all fat people lack self-control and have secret stashes of goodies, etc.: sorry; the real story is more complex. There have been studies out there which control for diet and exercise, and yet one person will lose 10 pounds and the other only a couple. The last time I went to a diner (with my dad), I didn't even finish the food on my plate, not to mention leaving a much-desired baked potato untouched; I do not frequent all-you-care-to-eat buffets, and my last DBA colleague (rail-thin) on a project routinely ate more than me (including his multiple snacks daily). You get to 300 pounds not in one fell swoop, but one pound at a time. And it can occur subtly: for example, you can eat the same amount of food, but if you aren't exercising, the excess your body is not burning converts to fat.

Let us be very clear: Being fat is not a pleasant experience, and we fat people have a number of natural incentives to want to get down to a more normal size. This blog will not intentionally be a strident defender of fat people's rights and the status quo; in fact, I think there are compelling reasons, just in terms of living a full life, to lose a healthy amount of weight. But, based on my own experience, women showed less interest in me the bigger I got, it can be difficult to find and buy affordable clothing, and you can be subjected to humiliating behavior from other people

In terms of dietary approaches, I probably followed the existing predominant paradigm starting in the 1970's: the low-fat approach. Our food can basically be summarized in terms of 3 sources of energy: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins (only the latter two are regarded as "essential") In particular, dietary fats are more calorie-dense. The low-fat advocates argue for a reduction in fat intake and substituting carbohydrates.

I first became aware of the low-carb diet through a project DBA I worked with at a Chicago public sector client in 2002. He mentioned he had lost weight almost effortlessly on the Atkins diet, never being hungry, etc. After my weight peaked around the time I made an unsuccessful job visit to Baltimore in 2003, I diligently followed a somewhat tamer version of a low-carb diet and over the first 6 months or so, I must have lost some 90 pounds. I hit a plateau at the time and eased off the diet. I would eventually regain the entire 90 pounds.

I've been on a renewed diet since changing doctors last November, having consistently weighed in lower at each subsequent office visit. Last month I decided to enroll in the Nutrisystem Diabetic plan (I do not have diabetes, although some relatives on both sides of the family tree developed type 2 diabetes). I will go into more depth in subsequent posts, but I had a positive experience my first month on the plan. I find the packaged items nutritious, and I like the taste and variety. The program does a good job controlling portions, and the online tools to register my daily weight and chronicle what I eat complement my self-discipline.

My intent for this introductory post was to explain how I got to the present. My subsequent posts will focus on my ongoing efforts plus related topics.