I briefly mentioned the Fat Guy Contingent, or FGC, in a post I wrote back in August. While the post itself was really about pictures, or lack thereof, I wanted to bring back the concept of the FGC.
It's a silly little name for ourselves, because we were the biggest kids in that particular circle of friends. I can't speak for the three other members, but I believe that the name united us and made us feel okay about ourselves. We were with people who looked like us, and that made it alright, you know? But at the same time, I think all four of us realized that while we liked the idea of feeling alright about ourselves, we knew that in the big picture we were unhappy with ourselves and needed to change. That's why the first (and to my knowledge only) rule of FGC is to get the hell out of FGC! None of the four of us knew exactly what getting out entailed, though we were pretty sure that not eating Chinese food and doing some exercise seemed like the first couple steps.
I've thought about it recently. I've been working hard, both on the diet and on the exercise front. I'm still consistently going to the gym every morning (my upper back is so sore from yesterday's t-bar rows!) and I'm drinking lots of water to keep myself full all day long. But is it enough to be out of the FGC? What do I need to do to accomplish Rule #1 of the club? When will I know that I've done enough to leave?
Turns out, the answer is... today.
I'm at a new low of 278.1 this morning. I'm buying clothes off the rack at normal stores and not shopping at Big and Tall stores. I'm wearing size 36 jeans right now. And the big one, the one that just happened... My BMI has passed from 40 to 39.9. Now I know, it's just about the same thing, and if I were in grade school I'd just be rounding up. --BUT!-- Little details are important! A BMI of 40 results in a naming convention of Morbidly Obese. A BMI of 39.9 results in Class II Obesity. Look, I'm still a total fattie. I know it. I understand that a weigh-in of 278 is very, very high. I recognize that physically I'm not too appealing to women. I realize that I still have a long, long way to go to reach my overall goal.
But I'm getting there. Class I Obesity, here I come! ;)
Anyway, thanks FGC for giving me a place where I felt like I belonged when I was down, but we all know what Rule #1 is. So today's my day. I'm officially out of the Fat Guy Contingent, and now I'm just another fat guy. I can't wait for you guys to come join me. :)
Where I've Been and Where I'm Going
19 comments:
Right back atcha! Awesome work.
Congratulations man! And congrats on noticing the significance of one little improvement and what it means. Those little benchmarks are key I think.
Good luck in 09
You're right the small things do matter! Awesome work!
Gratz on your class II
:D
*TODAY* Mark it on the calendar. Celebrate it.
I love how you're honouring your past support systems...FGC, big/tall stores etc. A fond farewell.
It sucks about physical beauty. It's normal of course for people to be drawn by it.
But wouldn't it be nice if our insides were more visible at first glance? (Well, not our bowels, that would be gross)
So people could see US?!
Move over and make some room...I'm coming with you.
Although I'm not a guy, I can join, right? :-) I know we've all heard that saying "weight is just a number" but you sure are rocking it....32 pants?! That's pretty frickin sweet and as someone who is married to a Big and Tall Guy, there are plenty of women out there who find a big strapping (and sometimes softish lol) dude attractive. :-)
Hope you don't mind me commenting as I'm new to your blog.
Not 32 pants, 36. I'm still happy with that. For now...
And anyone's welcome to post! Thanks for the comments!
Congrats on the BMI and the size 36s! Excellent NSVs.
We should all celebrate each and every milestone.
Happy new year!
great progress, former FGCer!!!!
Congratulatios on leaving the morbidly obese stage and buying clothes at a 'normal' store is another big accomplishment. While 40.0 to 39.9 isn't a huge change mathmatically, emotionally it is. Now, on to Class 1 Obesity.
Great results, congrats! I can buy some stuff (like pants) outside of Casual Male XL but it sure would be nice to not have to buy their expensive shirts any more.
Awesome work! Working out every day is something you should be really proud of. That is like the holy grail of dieting. You are doing it!
And buying off the rack at a normal store is simply incredible. I only just got there this week.
That's awesome, Roder.
I never had a named FGC, but it's funny how there's an automatic affinity you have with other fat guys.
We love food, and lots of it.
We like the Chinese buffet.
We like sitting on couches (sturdy furniture).
We don't like getting out and being active.
We don't like shopping for clothes.
Well, I'm right there with you in wanting to get the hell out of fat guy land. I look at my other fellow fat guy friend and (to be frank) am marveled at how huge he is. And then I'm taken aback knowing that at my heaviest, I was a good 30 pounds bigger than he was.
Damn.
congrats!! as, IMO, that is no little benchmark.
it's a tremendous shift in self definition.
Congrats, man! I look forward to being out of the morbidly obese category one day.
Interesting that you guys called yourselves the FGC. We called ourselves FTS (Fat Titty Squad) :D We ended up having to change the meaning of that to From The South when our group expanded to non-obese people :D
Anyway, congrats again!
Fantastic progress. Happy New Year!!!
JEff
congrats! :)
Congrats! Sounds like things are going great for you! What a great xmas gift :)
A really great post! You earned every bit! Well done!
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