Tag: Fat Guy Diary

Living the life, I deserve!

I had such a hard time thinking about living the life I deserved in 2009. Just as importantly was me living the life Polly, my wife, deserved. I’ve always been great at helping others, which I Iove, just not so great with taking care of me. I am sure some of you can identify with me.

Actually, understanding that living the life I deserved was important was a huge deal for me. I had always been good at being in the background, supporting others, helping others find success, and making things happen that way. I am not complaining, it is something I am quite good at and take pride in then and now.

At the Ports Authority and Boys & Girls Clubs, I thrived at helping those that worked with me and for me find success in what they were doing and wanted to do. That is how I built successful operations. Each person was part of the overall success.

In my volunteer work I was always ‘Johnny on the spot’. I always showed up, always, said YES, and always made things happen to bring success to the project or organization.

Both my careers and volunteer work were and are very important to me. But for too many years they came at a toll. I gave up far too much of myself and my life. At some point at started sacrificing too much of me, too much of I wanted to be in life. I found myself helping others live the life they deserved while coming up short on living the life I deserved.

When I would do things to take care of me and pursue my personal goals/dreams, I felt almost guilty for focusing on my wellbeing. I felt that if I took time for me, I was taking away from someone else, the project, or organization. I developed a warped sense of thinking over time.

It took me almost 53 years of life to figure out I needed to ‘Take Care of ME’ to be the best me for everyone else in my life. I realized in 2009 that I had no more to give and my tank was empty. In 2009 I started working on living the life Polly and I deserved.

It has taken me a number of years to come to grips with the fact that living the life I deserve not only helps me, it helps a lot of other people, too. I am a much better me to help my family, friends, and community. I am in so much of a better place now with my health, wellness, and mindset. I am working toward ‘living the life I deserve’ AND I am bringing people with me on the journey. I LOVE THAT ABOUT ME! And, I have found it is OK to love me! If you don’t love YOU, learn too!!

I have gone from a fatguy that took care of everyone but himself, to a person that is becoming a beast about taking care of himself! Being a beast is a mindset I have developed and continue to work on to best take care of me. And by being a beast about taking care of me, I’ve found that I am much better at helping others in my life. I am much better at being a husband, son, brother, friend, and volunteer. I am much better at helping people live the lives they deserve!

Note to ME and YOU: Could a better version of YOU be a bad thing? I think not! Live the life YOU deserve and be a BEAST about it!

thefatguy-thefitguy-thebeast.com

15 March, 2018
2017 REBOOT!

I am not proud of the picture in 2016. I am proud of the fact I kept facing forward and kept getting up. After being hit by a car on the day of my mom’s funeral in April 2015 things starting going south. Injury, pain, and uncertainty took me from the weight loss and fitness journey I treasured to struggling to stay in bounds. The only thing that kept me from going back to the 360 pounds I knew in 2009 was Isagenix. After a 20 month struggle, I refocused, recommitted to me and in January 2017 at 260 pounds I REBOOTED!

I recommitted to a daily strategy of my wonderful nutrition system, Isagenix, and my very convenient Total Gym Fit. During my REBOOT I was able to gain some traction on my injuries and pain with two of my doctors.

With my commitment and the additional support of my Isagenix team/family, 2017 has turned into an amazing year! I am down 45 pounds and in better health and fitness than ever.

I was asked in an interview last night “what are you grateful for?” I am grateful for my journey, my relationship with God, my wonderful wife, my family, my Isagenix team/family, Total Gym, and anyone/anything that has added value to my life.

Now I am on a mission to show people they can change their lives and find their way to fitness, health, and wellness. I am on a mission to win the Isabody Challenge. I will help turn around the obesity epidemic in our country!

Note to ME and YOU: Never give up, never give in!

TheFatGuy

TheFitGuy

TheBEAST

13 December, 2017
Wellness or Treatment

I was blessed to be invited to attend a Blue Zones presentation for Charleston SC by Dr. Susan Johnson of MUSC. Hearing the presentation hit home with me as they have sought out the healthiest communities in the world to see what works for them. As you know, I am always looking for wellness and what works for ME! They are now taking what they have learned and helping communities in the US move toward health and wellness and away from obesity, treatment and disease.

Obviously, Blue Zones focus on wellness resonates with me. I am a walking billboard for someone that lived through treatment for far too many years. In 2009, I was taking 7 different drugs and using a CPAP machine just to survive. I was basically at the water line of life just keeping my head above water. I hated where I was, the drugs, the CPAP machine, and everything about how I felt.

Since my focus on wellness, starting in March 2009, I lost 150 pounds and worked to learn more and more about wellness and living my life in a state of wellness. As I have continued to learn and grow in wellness some wonderful things have happened in my life. I’ve ditched the 7 drugs and CPAP machine! I feel phenomenal and I am in the best health of my life now, 61 years old. I’ve done as many as 1,000 pushups in a workout session and 150 reps of local high school stadium bleachers. And, my life expectancy has moved from 64 to 96 with a great quality of life. This is just a little about how wellness has changed my life!

The way I feel and the distance I’ve traveled from treatment to wellness continues to astound me. I wish I could somehow show you or make you feel how I felt in 2009 and how fantastic I feel now. I cannot even put a number on it. My wish is that everyone gets the opportunity to live in wellness and to feel great. Each of you deserves that opportunity.

Here is the kicker. I can talk to you about the possibilities and help you with the journey. Blue Zones can build in the opportunities in our community and bring the resources to make the change. BUT, you must choose to take advantage of the opportunity they offer, or I offer. You must choose to travel the journey. Blue Zones can build the structure and work to move the needle, I can coach you and provide direction on your journey, but YOU must choose wellness, YOU must decide YOU are worth it!

NOTE TO ME AND YOU: Your Choice! Wellness or Treatment! YOU are worth choosing wellness and traveling the journey.

3 November, 2017
My ‘why’ has gotten bigger!

My ‘why’ has gotten bigger!

I WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE combating our obesity epidemic!

My passion is to be healthy, fit, and strong enough to best help my family, friends, and community. It is my ‘why’ and it keeps me moving forward on my journey through all the highs and lows I experience. I have worked on this for the past 8 ½ years. I am not perfect, but I am in a much better place to pursue my passion and live my ‘why’.

Now, my ‘why’ is expanding! I want to change the obesity epidemic that plagues our country. With a third of our country obese and another third headed that way, I must do something! I want to sound the alarm! I want to wake people up! I want to turn the tide on this cursed epidemic that has become our health care crisis. It is truly a disaster!

WHY? Because I have found my way out of my own personal fire and want to lead others out of their fire!

I help people by coaching, nutrition support, giving away my story at fatguydiary.com, and volunteering with organizations, such as, Eat Smart Move More Charleston Tri-County. But, I feel this is not near enough for me. I have a burning desire to make a bigger difference! Bu how?

I just finished a project that was published this month called “A Journey of Riches Personal Changes”. My contribution was a section titled “Hopeless to Amazed”. I wrote “Hopeless to Amazed” by digging deeper on my journey and because I see so many people that feel they are hopeless to change their lives, change their destiny. I want people to know they CAN change their life, they CAN change their destiny!

My starting point is simple. I am doing more speaking engagements starting October 20^th and I am working on a grocery store guide with Eat Smart Move More CTC. I am looking for more opportunities to sound the alarm and give people the hope they need to start their journeys.

I am also excited to say I am embarking on a new writing project that I have been working on since early August. A chance meeting, has brought me together with someone that is giving me the opportunity to have a bigger voice to help give people some hope and direction out of obesity and unhealthy lifestyle toward a healthier happier future. This news will be coming soon!!!!

Note to ME and YOU: It is going to take ALL of us to turn our obesity epidemic around! Let’s do it!

9 October, 2017
Open Letter to Starbucks

Open Letter to Starbucks

Could you send some lifeboats?

Dear Starbucks:

I love having coffee, an occasional sugar free light treat, working, and people watching at your stores. In full disclosure, I am a recovering “fat guy” or TheFatGuy, as I say.

This morning I witnessed several parents giving their kids sweet treats as breakfast! I know this is their choice but it is hard to watch with the obesity epidemic I am oh so much a part of in this country. I was offered a “healthy version” of your new Frap, The Midnight Mocha Madness. When I took a sip of the sample, I asked what made this shot ‘healthy’? “Oh, it doesn’t have whip!” was the explanation I received. Ummm, I think not!

Yesterday I saw a first grader I know with his grandmother in Starbucks. This first grader happens to be a Type 1 Diabetic. His grandmother explained what she went through to come up with a healthy, no carb version of a treat for her very special grandson. She had goosebumps just talking about it. She had done an amazing job researching and putting together a concoction that turned out to be quite good and shake like! BUT, she had to be extremely specific and watchful as the treat was assembled to make sure there were no added carbs.

I don’t tell you this to demonize your company or place blame on you for the obesity epidemic in our country. There is a lot of blame to go around. I made bad choices when I weighed 360 pounds that got me to that weight and kept me there. I used to drink 2 to 3 venti mochas a day! That is about 900 to 1350 calories a day with 90 to 135 grams of sugar. I made that choice and I am responsible for the 360 pounds I carried.

I also know you market what people buy. You would not have all of the, let’s say sugary crap, available unless people were buying it! I get it. When I am standing in line behind children with mother’s and father’s in the morning at Starbucks all of the ‘sweet treats’ are eye level with the little darlings in line! HMMM, I wonder what they will ask for?! It does not take a marketing department to answer this question.

I’ll admit, it is kind of odd working in Starbucks and writing about Starbucks, but I am sure you will be fine with this feedback and my thoughts. You have a huge R & D team (200 plus according to your website) that works on developing your food and beverage items. I know you have sugar free this and light that for choices. I know you promote yourself as a responsible company, offering Kale chips, etc.

Knowing all of this and watching the choices being made by our youth, I was wondering if maybe you could invest some major dollars in a “Healthy Campaign” targeted at young people! Reach out to schools, promote healthy choices to kids, impact the next generation in a truly positive and healthy way. I’ll bet the profits would see a short term and long term boost!

Maybe take the dollars you use to promote drinks like the Unicorn Frap (76 grams of sugar in a Venti) and invest some in a healthy campaign. Have a contest where people come up with healthy drink ideas. Invite the grandmother and mom of the young Type 1 Diabetic I know to give their input. Maybe you will even help turn around the epidemic of Type 2 Diabetics. Just my thoughts.

As you can tell, I am quite passionate about bringing attention to our obesity epidemic and the health issues it creates for so many people in our country. Roughly one third of our country is obese with two thirds being overweight. As I said earlier, I know people make choices, I made bad choices. Now I make good choices!!

I am 61 and as healthy as I have ever been in my life! I am 150 pounds lighter, fit, off of 7 medications, and have ditched my CPAP machine! That is the short version of my change. I want everyone to experience the type of health and wellness I have attained. Could you help me? Could you be a little more of the solution and a little less of the problem? Could you make a difference now and in the future? What a statement you could make if you were able to impact the lives of young people in way that improved the lives, health, and wellness of an entire generation!

I know all companies have some sort of look toward healthier choices. Some are giving it lip service, some are marketing healthy that is not so healthy, and some are ‘trying’ to make a difference. But, I know that marketing departments are looking at marketing to the two thirds of the population that is overweight already. It does not take a genius to know companies are in business to make money!

The obesity epidemic is like the Titanic. We have not only hit the iceberg, we are hitting it repeatedly and sinking very fast. Could you and some of the other leading companies in our country send some lifeboats to save some of the children!?

Note to ME and YOU: It is going to take more than a village to combat the obesity epidemic.

TheFatGuy

Mike Campbell

23 May, 2017
61 and not close to DONE!!
61 and not close to DONE!!

(Pay It Forward Today!!)

Today I am 61 and I am not close to done. 8 years ago I thought I was done. I was old, unhealthy, obese, and generally miserable.

Today I am blessed.
- I am blessed to be fit!
- I am blessed to continue on my journey in spite of 2 years of working to manage pain.
- I am blessed to be as healthy as I’ve been in my life!
- I am blessed to have a second chance! (it’s probably a lot more than second!)
- I am blessed to be helping others find their weight loss and wellness journeys!
- I am just plain BLESSED!
The feeling of having released 150 pounds 7 years ago is amazing. Losing it and learning to manage my weight, health, and wellness has been a great experience and one I will embrace the rest of my life. What is hard to convey to you is just how much my quality of life has changed. The best way I can explain it is to take a look at my before and after pics, multiply by 4 and that is how much better I feel! That is how much my quality of life has improved!

I work to let people know just how much I have changed. I work to let people know they can change too! Sometimes when you are struggling with weight and its effects on your life, you just don’t think you can make the change; you just feel hopeless. I promise you, I felt hopeless at 360 pounds and now I feel amazed. I know if I can do it, if I can commit to the journey, that you can do it too!

If I can help you, please let me know. You can HELP ME! Check out my Facebook page and Pay It Forward today. That is all I want for my birthday. All I want is for people to do at least one random act of kindness and Comment Done on my Facebook post.

Note to ME and YOU: You can always change. There is always hope to change. There is no time like NOW! Also, a random act of kindness will help you more than the person you help J

TheFatGuy

TheFitGuy

TheBEAST
19 May, 2017
From Hopeless to Amazed

8 Years ago today I started my journey from Hopeless to Amazed. I was at the bottom of a very deep hole and could not find my way to climb out of that hole then. And now, well now, I’m amazed!

Prior to March 2, 2009 I had run out of hope that I could change my life. Hope that I could shed the tonnage, improve my health, rid myself of 7 medications and a CPAP machine, feel better, improve my quality of life, and just plain live happier. I was in a very dark place.

What happened? I had that AHA moment where you realize something needs to be done, has to be done to change your course. The main part of the AHA moment was the story my wife told me about the most important person in a burning building. She told me about being asked the question “who is the most important person in the fire?”, while she was at a Community Response meeting in February 2009. She came home to tell me the story and what she learned. She learned she was the most important person in the fire because if she could not found her way out of the fire, she could not help anyone else. It was and is that simple.

So what did I learn from the fire story? After 3 weeks of this story bouncing around in my head, I woke up on March 2, 2009 and realized I was in my own personal fire. I could not escape the fire of obesity! If I was ever going to help anyone in my life again, I was going to have to find my way ‘Out of the Fire’! That day I realized I had to do something. So I proceeded to start a spreadsheet to develop and track my path ‘out of the fire’.

Along the journey I have been able to do things I never thought possible. I have been able to shed 7 medications and a CPAP machine that maintained what I thought was quality of life. I have been able to move more, walk more, exercise more, do 1,000 push-ups, and climb the stands at Stoney Field 150 straight times (17 bleachers up and 34 steps down). And more than special to me, has been the fact that I am able to help others find their way ‘out of the fire’!

So now, now I am amazed! I look back now and realize just how bad I felt and just how deep of a hole I was in March 2009. I am amazed I found my way ‘out of the fire’! I am also very blessed!

Note to ME and YOU: It’s a Journey! Get on your path ‘out of the fire’ and AMAZE Yourself!

TheFatGuy

ThefitGuy

TheBEAST

2 March, 2017
I AM BLESSED

I was struck yesterday by the thought of just how blessed I am in life. I know I am blessed and I thank God daily for my blessings.

What was different about yesterday? Why did it ‘strike’ me suddenly? I have seen a number of my contemporaries pass over the last few years and in particular this year. Some were friends, some friends of friends, past co-workers, friends of my wife, some family (my brother in-law) and parents of younger friends/relatives. It all seemed to come together as I looked at that old picture of me at 360 pounds (the one I keep to remind me of where I was, and where I will not go back to) and thought of a cousin that lost her dad several years ago.

I don’t know why my mind works the way it does, but a wave of thoughts and emotion came across me. I thought about how bad a shape I was in at 53 years old. I thought about how many people I’ve known in my age range that I/we have lost recently and over the years since finding my journey. I thought about my younger cousin and other younger friends I know that have lost parents that are my age. I thought about life, problems, pettiness, and sadness. We get so caught up in the small things in life that we do not enjoy the people we have when we have them.

The emotion that came crashing down on me was focused around the realization that I could be gone now, that I would be gone now if not for that moment of clarity in 2009, that AHA moment created by the Fire Story my wife told me. How lucky was I? Why me? And then I thought about those younger people that lost their parents much too soon. They were my age and I don’t think of my age as old. Why them? Why have we lost them so soon?

I caught my breath, sat there, and thought for a moment. I thought ‘I AM BLESSED’. Then I thanked God for my blessings and prayed for those that passed much too soon and those they left behind.

I also thought about how I was on my way out in 2009 and how I am nowhere near that now. I was able to start my journey to healthier happier me. I was able to control my destiny. How many people get that opportunity? How many people think they are done when they may be able to change their present and future? I meet people every day that could gain that control. They feel too far gone or hopeless, but they are not. I pray these people find their moment of clarity and realize they can change and can create a journey to a healthier happier you. I know this is true because I was them in 2009. I was too far gone and hopeless. I AM TRULY BLESSED.

If I can help YOU, let me know.

Note to ME and YOU: Pray for that moment of clarity, that AHA Moment, that gets you to the healthier happier you. I pray daily for this for ME and YOU.

TheFatGuy

TheFitGuy

The BEAST

30 September, 2016
Transformation
I’ve been blessed to see major transformation in my life, help others to find transformation in their lives, and help organizations transform.

What do all of these transformations have in common? Commitment, vision, knowledge, energy, and a can-do attitude!
- Commitment to the transformation is key. In each case people fully committed to make a change, and in some cases a radical change. If you do not commit, then no other steps matter.
- Vision toward where you needed to go was also a common thread in these journeys. People developed a vision and started down the road toward that vision
- Knowledge was gathered along the way to travel the roads toward the vision. Knowledge about self and knowledge about the task at hand were key pieces to each transformation.
- Energy is seen in each instance. People develop a certain energy to move toward transformation and they harness that energy to get where they need to go.
- A Can-Do attitude is needed to make the transformation happen. Yes a positive Can-Do attitude can get you a long way down the road to transformation! As TheFatGuy says, you choose your attitude each day regardless of your life circumstances. You will make good, sometimes great life choices with a positive attitude.
You should know that YOU can transform your life at anytime! I have been blessed to have it happen in my life and blessed to see it happen in many other lives and situations.

Note to ME and YOU: Transformation can get you from where you don’t want to be to where you dream to go!

TheFatGuy

TheFitGuy

TheBEAST
26 April, 2016
April Fool! (Who ME?)

As I look back, I can see that many days, if not most, were April Fool’s Day for me! I fooled myself for many days and many years.

How did I do this? I did this by ignoring me, ignoring my own weight, health, fitness, and life. I was pretty good at helping others and not so good at helping ME. I Fooled myself into ignoring these things. I immersed myself in the needs of others, thinking that if I took time for me I would be taking away from my efforts for others.

I went from 300 pounds to over 360 pounds in 3 ½ years working to save a non-profit I felt passion for and helping youth I wanted so much to help succeed in life. I did immerse myself in the organization and the needs of others during this period of time. I worked 70 hour weeks for 3 ½ years to save this organization and did nothing much of anything else. I failed to do many of the things that helped me through life. I failed to properly embrace family and friends. I failed to manage my own life. I failed to create balance in my life. I completely failed to “ Take Care of ME!”

While I may have done much good for the youth I served over 3 ½ years, I took major hits in health, fitness, body, mind, and soul. I did nothing to “Take Care of ME”. I do not tell you this to feel like I sacrificed so much for others, or for some altruistic feeling this might give me. I like helping others, it’s what I am good at in life. I was actually disappointed in me. When I started my journey and looked at what I did, why I did it, and what I wanted to do, I realized just how much I was fooling me.

I was not only fooling me, I was cheating myself of the ability to be the best me for me and others I my life. Ultimately I ended up at a point where I was in such bad shape, I was no longer able to help others the way I wanted and it was not a good place to be. SO on March 2, 2009 I realized that I needed to be the best me for me and to best help others in my life. I know and talk to many people that are great at helping others and not so great at helping themselves. I see it all too often.

I have to remind myself every day that to be the best me for me and everyone else in my life, I have to “Take Care of ME!” It is not a selfish thing, it is the best thing for all.

Note to ME and YOU: Don’t be an April Fool and Fool yourself. “Take Care of YOU” so You can be the best YOU for all!

1 April, 2016