"Super Size Me." I can remember when those three words meant so much more than the thirty-nine cents they cost. It was the summer of 1999. My last before the working world. I was interning for an engineering firm that had me stationed in the City of Waupun. I was up at 5 AM, on the road by 6, and in town by 7. I didn't have time to make a lunch in the morning, and was too lazy to do it at night. Enter McDonald's and the double quarter pounder with cheese meal. Super sized. I ate one nearly every day for lunch for the entire summer. I wasn't working out. I was too tired from working to do anything but go out with friends. (What was I supposed to do? I was in college.) So tack on many beers, none of them light, to the already growing number of calories. My only saving grace was to sweat during the day in khakis and polo shirts. (The dress code prevented anything less.) And it wasn't the summer to really be enjoying the outside (June, July and August weather stats. Note that July's average high was 85°F.)
Following that summer, I finished my last semester, graduated and got a desk job and ceased to workout, maintaining my high-caloric intake and poor grocery store habits. Scratch that. I rarely went to a grocery store. Instead, I bought a small chest freezer and frequented the frozen food section at Sam's Club. Pizza Pockets were my favorite. Two or three at a time, two to three times per week. The other nights were split between breaded buffalo chicken fingers, and and a dozen or so chicken nuggets. There were no accompaniments and the drink always included a left over Mountain Dew or fresh beer. I was getting fat. I knew it, but didn't care.
Why this memory, you ask? "Super Size Me." The movie struck a cord with me because of my diet this fall and my resulting eight loss. We watched it last Thursday (courtesy of Netflix, which rocks) based on the recommendation of many friends. It was extremely well done. Much more enjoyable than the other one.
And it seems like we watched it at the right time. The day after, Frazz runs a comic that sums up one of the main reasons obesity is a second biggest health threat in the US.
Furthermore, in the movie, an interviewee in the movie vocalized a thought I've been carrying with me since I lost my weight. When will the obese be socially criticized for being overweight? And will they be told to correct it at the same time? Most places, smokers are shunned to stand outside to fulfill their addiction. And, as the interviewee shares, they are even given grief for lighting up at a table of friends. Nearly every time I pass an obese person, I develop a bit of scorn and disappointment that they've taken their own body and severely trashed it. "Why don't they want to lose weight?" If you're ever in Wisconsin, look at the people around you. How many are overweight? Too many.
As a result of the movie's success, there are no super size options at McDonald's and just recently, the vending machine industry is starting a campaign to provide healthy food alternatives in schools.
Again, an extremely well done movie. It deserves your attention and the attention is has garnered. Keep reading to know how fat I got.
The three years following the summer in Waupun had took its toll. My blood work said so. In January 2002, my total cholesterol was 198. My triglyceride level was 223 (should be 150). HDL (good cholesterol) was at 37, when over 40 is best. And finally, my LDL (bad cholesterol) was 116, when under 100 is best. As noted on the response from the nurse, "these numbers are not ideal." And then Kris & I got married and moved in together. There was no room for the freezer in our new apartment, so Sam's was not on the grocery list anymore. Instead, we began to cook "real" food and eat out less. I made attempts at working out, but not really. I stopped weighing myself long before this, so I had no idea where I was at. Some records had me over 210, 35 pounds over my litmus-test like high-school graduation weight. I do recall around this time that I find chuckled as I took my shirt off before jumping in a lake. I asked why he was laughing. He replied by saying that I was just the everyone else now with my belly and related chub. Ouch.
A year after being married, I had another routine check-up, complete with blood work. I was anxious to see what the pizza pocket free year had done for me. Overall, good news: 160 total, 112 triglycerides, 38 HDL, and 100 LDL. Just within acceptable limits.
The next year continued, with sloppy attempts and setting up a regular exercise program. I struggled to keep up during basketball games, and found myself struggling for air after legging out triples and home runs in softball. I was dubbed the unfortunate nickname of "sausage." (Keep your dirty minds to yourself. It was based on my running style that matched the Brewers' event, not what you're thinking.)
That's when this August, we decided to do something about it. The South Beach would be the guide, and everything else would be history. And it worked. I've maintained the 30 pounds lost on the diet, and will begin working out in earnest in the next few weeks. It's go time.