OnePhatMan

Do you have loose skin? How bad is it? What about surgery for skin removal?

Yes, I have some loose skin. I’ve had surgery to remove excess skin from my abdomen and chest and am very pleased with the results. While I’d love to have more surgeries to get the remaining excess skin off my neck and back, I find that the older I get the less I like the idea of spending that much money on something that’s not really necessary. Originally I wasn’t going to have any skin surgery at all, but I got tired of looking like a Sharpei. My dermatologist told me that the vast majority of loose skin returns to normal within seven years, but I just don’t feel like waiting.

Insurance didn’t pay for the surgery, which was pricy ($10,000 pricy), and recovery was a breeze. I came home from the hospital the afternoon of the surgery, a Wednesday, and was working from home on Thursday. I returned to my office the following Monday, was doing cardio within 10 days and lifting weights in 14. Of the 30 pain pills the doctor prescribed, I took five.

Ha ha, Fred! I knew you couldn’t keep the weight off! What do you have to say for yourself?

I think maybe a life is in order for you, if you think 15 pounds after an injury is “gaining it back.”

What’s with the title of your book? You think you’re some kind of hunk? Isn’t that obnoxious and arrogant?

The title came to me as a joke, when I was writing the original journal that formed the basis of the book. Specifically, I said (on a whim), “When I write my memoir, From Chunk to Hunk: Diary of a Fat Man…” There was an outpouring of love for the name and the humor contained within it, so when I actually made the book, I kept the title.

What kind of diet are you on?

I’m not on a “diet,” at least not in the sense that you’re thinking of one. I simply keep an image in my head of the man I want to be, and I live a life to make sure I stay that man.

Do you exercise?

Yes, six days a week. Generally, I use the elliptical trainer on three days, and do something else (weights, calisthenics, etc) on the other three. Sunday is a day of rest.

In addition to workouts, I also hike a lot (2-5 times a week), and bike and kayak on occasion.

What foods do you eat?

Most of the food I eat is fairly unprocessed, meaning it’s pretty close to its natural state. I eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meats, and nuts. Generally when I’m presented with an option, I’ll choose whatever’s most natural, unless it’s Friday.

What’s with you and Fridays? Can you really eat all that junk food and not gain weight?

I really can, and I really do. We are what we consistently do, and if we consistently eat crappy foods we’ll be fat and unhealthy. Trust me, I know. Having junky food one day a week isn’t going to break anything—I’m living proof—as long as you’re consistent the other six days.

That said, I rarely use Friday as a total pig out day, because eating junky food tends to make me feel gross. Sometimes I even eat mostly normally on Fridays, while others I astound myself at what I can pack in. Anything goes means just that.

How do you stay motivated?

I don’t rely on motivation. I just decided I’d rather be fit and healthy than fat and dying. Each time I’m presented with an opportunity to make an unhealthy food choice, or to skip exercising, I think about who I want to be, and base my decision on that. Sometimes I eat unhealthy food, but most of the time I choose what’s best for my body.

Why is it so hard to keep off weight?

People can gain their weight back for a variety of reasons. While some people gain it back because of things like sickness or injury, the vast majority gain it because they stop doing what got them where they wanted to be. In general, you will become the person you live like—if you live like a fat sedentary person, guess what you’ll turn into? As long as you continue to live like a fit person who isn’t overweight (and barring medical / physical complications), you’ll continue to be a fit person who isn’t overweight.

How do you feel about fiber?

I’m male. Do you really need to even ask how I feel about something that makes nice big poops?

How much water do you drink?

I don’t know. Enough, I suppose. I drink regularly, particularly if I get thirsty. I tend to believe thirst is our body’s way of saying, “Hey, I need a little water.” I don’t buy the “if you’re thirsty, it’s too late” philosophy.

That said, I also think people are far too concerned with water. Just drink if you get thirsty, and worry about more important things, like Britney and Cletus.

Do you count calories? How do you know how much to eat?

No, I don’t count calories. My general philosophy is this: I eat when I’m hungry, I drink when I’m thirsty. The rule of thumb when I eat is a simple question. If I were at the “look and feel” I wanted to be, would I eat this? That dictates what goes into my mouth 90+% of the time. I firmly believe that if I choose a variety of natural foods (fruits, veggies, grains, meats, nuts, etc) and minimize the refined/processed foods that fill most pantries, I’ll continue to not have to worry about how much I eat.

If I gain some weight—that’s something I keep an eye on—I’ll modify my eating or exercise slighty until it blips back to where I want it to be. Contrary to what the diet industry wants you to think, for most people it’s not rocket science.

Have you ever tried diet drugs?

Haven’t most fat people? Let’s see, in the 80’s and early 90’s, I tried Ayd’s (those little chocolate candies), Dexatrim, Herbalife, Slimfast, Phentermine, Redux, Fenfleuramine, and Prozac (yes, for weight, and it made me batshit after one week, so I stopped taking it). It seems there are a couple more I got via prescription, but I can’t remember them. Now you know why I’m so opposed to pills and drinks as a solution—mostly because they’re NOT a solution.

Why didn’t you have weight-loss surgery?

Initially I was pretty opposed to the notion of surgery, especially for me. I’m a big believer in my own responsibility for my actions, and for me it felt like a cop out. After all, I didn’t need surgery to get fat, did I? All I had to do to be fat was live like a fat person, and once I decided to stop doing that, the fatness took care of itself.

However, as time passed, my attitude towards the surgery changed. It’s safer now, and I realize that there really are people for whom it is a lifesaver. Just because it’s not for me doesn’t mean it’s not for you. What you do is your business and no one else’s. Don’t let them tell you any differently.

What is your opinion of [fill in your fad diet of the week]?

I think any “diet” you go on is going to set you up for failure because the minute you go off the diet, the weight’s going to come back, pure and simple. Furthermore, anything that cuts out a whole food group sets you up to fail because deprivation leads to binges, and binges lead to a big butt.

How can you claim to be cured of diabetes? It’s incurable, stupid.

Here are the facts: Taking two pills a day for diabetes, my fasting blood sugar stayed in the 170’s or 180’s. When I took charge of my life I stopped taking pills, and my fasting blood sugar dropped to the mid-60’s. No matter what I eat, I can’t get my blood sugar to go above the low 100’s. Call it “controlled by diet” if that’s what you choose to believe. I call it cured. I’ve got better things to do with my time than worry about what you think about my diabetes.

Fred, tell me how many calories I should eat or how much exercise I should do.

No. With all the information available in books and online about nutrition and physical activity, you should be able to find plenty of good sources of information. I’m not a dietitian, nor a doctor, nor a personal trainer. I’m someone who takes the time to research things to find out what’s best for my health. If you really need advice from a person about things like diet and exercise, ask a certified / licensed / degreed professional.

What is it with you and weight lifting? Don’t you know cardio exercise is the best way to burn fat?

Don’t feel bad, I once believed that too. I also used to think I was “too fat” to lift weights. I was wrong. One pound of muscle requires fifty or more calories per day to support it. Add ten pounds of muscle mass, and you add the need to eat another 500 or more calories a day just to keep it. Pretty cool, huh?

Sure, you’ve dropped a lot of weight. But wait till you have to maintain a weight. That’s the hard part, and you’ll probably just blow right back up to your original size. Or bigger.

I love the smell of bullshit in the morning. Listen closely, because I’m about to destroy the biggest myth there is in weight control. Heed this advice and you’ll save a load of money on diets and books. I’m even going to italicize it because it’s so important: if you continue to do what you did to transform yourself, you’ll continue to stay transformed.

Injury, illness, or other medical condition can throw you a curveball, like it did me, but those can be dealt with. Keep living healthy, and keep being healthy.