Chronicles of a Late Bloomer

Art is a microscope which the artist fixes on the secrets of his soul and shows to other people these secrets which are common to all. (Leo Tolstoy)

I stumbled on these two videos/animations today while cruising youtube. The creator is doing the thing to which I often aspire — speaking his truth without apology. We’re just lucky because the truth he explores is his own morbid obesity. There is so much in these pieces which speaks to me.

Learn more about the artist here and here.

I was appalled to learn (and, I’m sure, so was he) that his original starting weight was not 376 (as depicted in the video) but actually closer to 400 pounds due to a faulty scale. Poor guy! That’s enough to derail any train.

I love how the second video ends with a version of Bolero — that famous 15-minute yawner which does nothing but repeat the same 6 measures over and over and over again. It feels like weight loss — like Groundhog Day — like purposely finding a rut and staying there.

The amount of weight I have to lose feels impossible most days, and the lack of role models makes it even worse. I’m constantly on the lookout for “success stories” of 100+ losses (regardless of “diet” or “plan”, and now here is Danielle, who lost 227.6 pounds in what appears to be roughtly 3 years. (I wish more success stories would talk about how long it took for people to reach their goals, but I digress…)

I could relate with:

I masked those feelings [of unhappiness and rejection] by being overly friendly and funny, so I was always well liked and accepted despite my weight.

Danielle’s best tips:

1. I had more than 200 pounds to lose, so I set mini goals of two to five pounds. (Danielle’s “mini-goals” are even mini-er than Michele’s.)
2. I started out by walking just one block and gradually increased the distance as I was able to physically handle more. By slowly ramping up the intensity, I was not overwhelmed and also felt like I was achieving something, which helped me to stay on track.
3. To help scale down restaurant portions, I always ask for a to-go box as soon as my meal is brought out. I immediately put half of the meal in the box and enjoy the food remaining on my plate…

After all that noise yesterday, look what showed up in my email this morning: a “success story” from Weight Watchers that involves a 175-lb weight loss. I must say, Michele really called my bluff. Details here.

Michele’s best tip:

Mini goals are critical to those of us with a lot to lose. Those can be scale goals such as losing 20 or 30 pounds¹, or process goals, such as journaling successfully for three weeks in a row. And remember to reward yourself.

1. I love how she says “20 or 30 pounds” like it’s nothing. Like the 10 pound range there is so small as to feel almost insignificant. Like she doesn’t read the “success stories” of people who have 25 pounds to lose, either. Because, guess what? At our weights, “20 or 30 pounds” DOES feel insignificant. [↩]

Writing this entry may or may not be against company policy, but it’s something I need to do.

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