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Fat Matt, Part 3

I'm fat again.

I really have this problem with dedication and commitment, you know? I dropped nearly 20 pounds for Macbeth and was well on my way towards my target weight when I kind of ran out of gas with the whole “eating healthy” thing. My infrequent indulgences in pizza, cookies, and ice cream became more and more frequent, with bigger and bigger portion sizes, and my physical activity level got a little lower every day.

Still, everything was fine as long as I was still in a play. At least then I had several hours of light exercise each night, and that seemed to be enough to keep me from blimping up too much. Well it's been a little more than a month since “Two Gents” ended and let me tell you, that month has done its work. I'm now nearly back to the weight I was at when I promised I would never let myself weigh this much again. Now, to keep all this in perspective, I'm not horribly overweight or obese or anything and I'm certainly not having some kind of breakdown or an outbreak of manorexia. My Body Mass Indicator does, however, indicate that I have moved back into the “overweight” zone. My chief concern is that of the long-term. My current weight is not necessarily that much of a problem - but if I keep certain habits for a extended period of time, there is not only the certainty of further weight gain but also of health problems the likes of which I would much rather avoid.

What habits are those you ask? I think I've identified three things that absolutely must change with my current day-to-day lifestyle:

1. Smaller portions! I think my 3 main meals of the day are made up of mainly healthy foods, I'm just eating much more of them than is healthy. Part of this problem is just being used to having a certain amount of food in my belly in order to feel “full.” There's no reason to go hungry, obviously, but there's a difference between going hungry and not stuffing yourself.

2. No more snacks! I'm seriously a huge sugar junkie. There's a big bowl of free candy at my work and I've been dipping into that four, five times a day or more. Plus there have been cookies baked at home and ice cream lonely in the freezer. Its no good going to great lengths to ensure I'm eating healthy meals if I'm gorging myself on candy the rest of the day.

3. More physical activity! Currently, I sit at a desk all day, then come home and play video games and watch TV until bed. Fixing this will require not only going to the gym regularly, but a commitment to finding activities in my free hours that are a bit more involving physically. Spencer, this means you need to take me hiking or something on the weekends. I rely on you outdoor-ish people to save me from my prison of idleness.

If I can, for once in my life, commit to changing these three things and really stick to them, I know that by the time I head off for grad school in the fall I'll feel better, look sexier, and have more energy, just like a model from a TV exercise video ad.

Did you know that over 50% of adults in the US are overweight or obese? Its true. You know, of course, that I define myself by my difference from the American majority, so its clear that something must be done.

Please understand, I'm not vain or superficial. I just want people to judge me by my looks and desire me sexually, is that so bad????

Oh, and I want good health. And world peace.

So here's the plan. Currently I look rather like this:

And within a few months I will look like this:

Its the patented Jedi Knight diet: low-carbs, low-fat, high-Force.

Comments

FoxyJ said…
Snacks are OK if they are healthy snacks. In fact, for most people 3 meals a day aren't enough and it's better to break things down into 5 or 6 smaller "meals" or your regular 3 meals plus snacks. I eat every 2 hours or so, but most of the time I try and grab something healthy like a banana instead of candy. (Of course, my BMI is also overweight, but I'm trying). I'm just trying to give some advice on the whole feeling full thing. There's no way I can eat enough at one meal to last the 4 hours or so until the next, so a small, healthy snack is usually the best. Plus then you aren't ravenous at meal time and you're more likely to eat less. Good luck!
Matt Haws said…
Thats really good advice, actually. By snacks I specifically meant sugary candy, but maybe I'll have an easier time if I substitute healthy stuff like fruits and vegetables to munch on at work, instead of those yummy Reeses Pieces or Hot Tamales they have here!
Anonymous said…
If you looked like Ewan McGreggor, with that sex appeal, I would definitely date you. Otherwise...SJ
Matt Haws said…
If I looked like Ewan McGregor with his sex appeal, *I* would date me.
Anonymous said…
Well, I'm glad that is understood. Its... glad to know that. SJ

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