Hi, my name is Hal and I’m fat.
Okay, I’m not majorly obese, though I’m sure my BMI would indicate that I am on the heavy side of obese, if not just *shudder* morbidly so. This wasn’t always the case. When I was 8, I was rail thin and this lasted for several years until one tragic incident where I was walking to the convenient store and had a gun pulled on me (well, not just me, and we can’t be sure if it was a gun, but it looked like one). And, then, another time when I was trying to walk to a friend’s house and someone came after me with a bat (I don’t really thing with true malice, just trying to mess with me more than anything).
Yes, I had a tragic and scary childhood (sometimes). I didn’t live in a bad neighborhood, but I guess at that time (this was just before the reversal in violent crime rates, circa 1990) messing around like that was just the thing to do; or, at least, I remember it that way because of the culture I was exposed to.
Anyway, around that time, I got scared to even really walk outside. So I didn’t. And I packed on the pounds. It doesn’t help that genetics aren’t really on my side, either. Both sides struggle with it to some degree, and so do I. Welcome to America, I suppose. Well, it got real bad until I was a junior in college when I finally decided to do something about it. During 2003, I went to the gym at least three times a week–in the summer it was even more, like 5 times a week. I eventually started running and I lost 100 pounds.
Problem is, I don’t deal well with major change. At least, that’s one of the only things I can think of. Makes some sense, because I’m very type A, and I want to control my environment to a fault. It seems that one of my coping mechanisms is to overindulge in tasty and not necessarily healthful things 
So, I started picking up weight again… first in 2004 when I started grad school (about 15 pounds). Then in 2005 when I started working (about 30 pounds). Then in 2006 when I got married–and let it all go 
(about about 20 pounds). And finally, this year, when we made a really drastic change with my wife going back to school which involved losing an income and moving to a completely new area (about 15 pounds).
If you’re counting, that means in 4 years I’ve gained back about 80 of the 100 pounds I lost in 2003.
So, today is the day to turn around. I rejoined the gym here at school and I’ll try to start going again at least three times a week–my officemate and I have something of an agreement that we’ll do this together and try to help each other out. And, I’ll watch and document what I eat better (one of the things that really helped, initially, was Weight Watchers–and I liked the program a lot, because you could eat anything, but you had to be accountable to the program and yourself). If I do it right, it will take close to a year, again. But, if I do it right, and keep doing it, I should be able to put all of this behind me.
Why am I telling you this on a food blog? Because half the battle is what you put into your body. So, I’m introducing a segment called “Weighty Wednesday,” where I will either post a naturally healthful recipe or a more healthful interpretation of a full-fat classic.
Plus, if I keep my progress documented for all the world to see, I might be more accountable to myself, right? Let’s hope so. Look for the first update on Wednesday!
