And before y’all lose your shit about fat-shaming the woman in the photo, allow me to share the fact that I am also obese so I speak from a position of knowing the problems.
You see, to tell fat people that they can enter an Ironman-type contest with that body and making them believe that by spending that much money they will be losing weight is a damnable lie. The only thing that will happen is a hole in the bank account and possibly a trip to the ER after they collapse out of the bike and into the pavement. After they recover, they will put the equipment up for sale and go back to nurse their Egos in front of a large pan sausage pizza and a gallon of Dairy Queen Choco-Dipped- Strawberry Blizzard. Any alleged work simply vanishes.
I began my dieting back in May and a low-impact exercise regime in July. It is basically counting calories like a MoFo and cut down the intake while trying to burn as much as I can with this messed up back I have. I am not telling you how much I was weighing when I began, but as of this morning, I had lost 81 pounds and my goal is to lose another 50 before I decided to slow down a bit and maybe remember what a pizza or a lasagna tastes like. I am going to break my diet for Christmas by making the first Spanish Omelet in eight months. You old reader can retrieve your lower jaw and place it in the upright position: Yes, I have not had my favorite dish since I started dieting.
As with everything, it is discipline in the application of a plan that works for you. And to also understand that setting stupid unreachable goals is only setting yourself up for failure and collecting more pounds.
And I rather spend the money on a bolt action rifle with a nice scope, perhaps in 30.06 since it will give me a nice upper body workout.
Good on ya. To quote the immortal Harry Callahan, “A man’s gotta know his limitations.”
Good for you!
Then again, I’m always amazed when I see NFL linemen run. They didn’t used to, but they sure do now.
Apart from that, I’ve watched some Ironman finishes (friends of ours are regular participants). While most of the racers are lean as you might expect, there are a bunch who carry more padding than you would expect, especially since they make it to the finish in surprisingly good total times.
The lady in the photo is well beyond what I’ve seen, but a bunch of excess padding is, in and of itself, not a disqualification.
First time I lost weight, I was in my 20s and it was easy. Gave up Alcohol, snacks, junk food and worked out.
Now, not so much. I have many chronic issues that come with age – arthritis, nerve damage, muscle damage from radiation and chemo. And just age – it’s tough for the mind to reconcile the fact that you just don’t need anywhere near as much food.
“As with everything, it is discipline in the application of a plan that works for you.”
And figure out your body. Best plans I’ve seen are based on your blood type.
With me it’s high glycemic carbs which is bad because Irish (potatoes, beer) and the wife is Cajun (rice, bread).
Gotta eat like a monk I guess
Few things.
1. I do not have any grief with the message in that ad. Support and encouragement is good.
2. However, I do think the image paints a very unrealistic picture. I am not sure why you assume that is some kind of ironman thing, but it is definitely a competition.
3. there are plenty of obese people out there that can bike/walk/hike/swim extremely well, despite their size.
I have a co-worker that is in a weight loss program sponsored by her local church. She is a good 150 pounds overweight, but participates in their “triathlons” about four times a year. Apparently, you swim for five minutes or so, then bike for 20 minutes, then run/walk for 20 minutes more. The “winner” is the person that goes the longest distance. There are also “prizes” for things like best improved from last “triathlon” and best distance for each leg of the “race.”
You could very well be looking at something like that.
Keep up the good work there Miguel. Impressive to drop that much, and even better that you are continuing. Having just lost about 30 pounds myself, I know it is not easy to do.
Hi Miguel,
I’ll be brief.
Congratulations for taking control of your diet and being able to lose 81 lbs.
If your goal is to lose more, you have found a way to do that.
Keep up the good work. Your heart will love you for it!
Picking up from above: not only will your heart appreciate your efforts, but so will your knees and back.
Strong work, young man!
That bolt action 30-06 is a good idea. I have an ’03A3 that I love to shoot. It’s so old, but good!
Hell Im no where near that big but I wouldnt do an iron man comp… good for you sir! Slow n steady will getcha there. I have a friend who did some kinda “miricle diet” she lost almost a hundred pounds over a years time. 2 years later its all back. So much for the miracle….
That is outstanding news good on ya!
Im still young and mostly lean but I aint running unless im out of bullets.
Good for you for the weight loss and I think you hit the nail on the head, portion control is the issue for many people and something as I age I can already see is becoming a problem for me. Plain and simple you just cant sit down and drink 16oz of milk and half a package of Oreos with no ill effect past a certain age.
As far as people competong etc. Like with anything kn life if you are a duly informed consenting adult with appropriate expectations who care. I enter many competitions I have no intention of even trying to win, simply just to participate.
I recently bought an HTC Vive, hoping I could up my activity level with some Beat Saber. Currently tallying 9 hours over the past 6 days, and that’s not counting the increase in time spent on my feet instead of sitting down, since most VR gaming has you standing up.
As far as setting people up for failure… you know what? Natural selection isn’t working the way it’s supposed to. If some landwhale wants to try and enter an athletic competition and gives herself a heart attack from the exertion, she can at least serve as a warning about the dangers of obesity.