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Monday, September 22, 2008

Week 86 Weigh-In Buffet??!!



Last Week's Weight: 231.4 lbs.
Today's Weight: 230.8lbs. (-0.6)
Total Lost: 149.26 lbs.

Fat Ratio: 20.4%
Lean Mass: 183.7 lbs.
Fat Mass: 47.1 lbs.
Waist: 45.5 inches

Bleh, I was hoping for better, but perhaps the buffet is to blame. Regardless, I don't have much to complain about. At least it's moving in the right direction.

Anyhow, we made a trip to Bay City and Saginaw last Saturday. My wife needed to get her bassoon repaired and I wanted to see what kind of end of season bike deals were to be had. We ate lunch at Applebees and I had their chicken and portabella on a whole wheat bun with fruit. It was quite good. So far so good even though I missed part of my breakfast and my mid-morning snack altogether. As the day progressed, I missed my afternoon snack. By the time 6PM rolled around, I was getting light headed and weak. The prospect of going to another restaurant and waiting for at least a hlaf hour or longer for food was not going to work. Therefore, I was going to stop at a sub shop where I could get something half way decent and FAST. Before we headed to the sub shop, we spotted a buffet. That sounded great, so we went.

We got seated and I headed straight for the salad. I was able to get a healthy plate and they even had fat free dressing. Then I headed for the main course. I found some sweet potatoes and baked chicken breast, but I had to peel off the skin. The meat was dry. I tried the pot roast, but it was dry. I found some fish, but had to scrape off the greasy breading. I decided to eat some dessert, so I took a little sample of 4 different ones. I took a bite of each which was a mistake. All but one tasted like crap.

After, I decided I couldn't stomach any more of this horrible food, I recalled that almost every buffet looks better than it actually is. I wish I had gone to the sub shop. I sat there and looked around at the other people in the restaurant. It was eerie. Every single person in there was obese. Okay, a couple were simply overweight. However, there was at least one person at each table that was extremely obese. One table made my heart sink. One lady was about 500 lbs., another was about 250 lbs. There was an infant, but I wasn't sure which lady it belonged to. However, there were two other children. A boy about 8 years old was around 175 lbs, and a girl about 10 who looked over 200 lbs. This group had been in there before us, and I think the kids were up to get food every time I was. When I was done, the kids were still running around getting food. I saw the girl at the dessert table at least three times.

I walked away having learned a few lessons. 1) I don't belong at buffets. Not only do they provide very little healthy food, but most of the food is bland and gross. Further, it's too easy to lose track with all that food available. Plus, I felt terrible the rest of the day, 2) I am thankful that I have turned from the path I was on. I could easily have reached 500 lbs. and more. What would I have taught my children? Would they have become obese too? I shudder to think of it. 3) Though I was walking in their shoes, I have no idea what I can do to encourage/help anyone who is currently going down that path. "Excuse me. I couldn't help but notice how obese you are. I used to be like that. Please, eat healthy, eat less, and exercise. Have a nice day."

Every once in a while, I used to have someone tell me I should lose weight for my health. That would tick me off. They didn't know whether or not I was already doing something about it. They didn't know that I hadn't been twice that size. They didn't know squat about me. Someone I didn't know telling me I should lose weight just made me mad. As if I didn't know I should lose weight. But that bozo who didn't seem to want to get to know me felt it was his duty to tell something so blatantly obvious just felt insulting. However, I would just smile and say thank you.

My rule of thumb when it comes to giving out such advice is I say nothing unless asked. If it's someone close to me, I will say something like, "Hey, I am going for a walk, I could sure use some company. Let's go." I always loved it when someone asked me to do something with them. If you have any thoughts on the subject, please share them with me.

"Difficulties strengthen the mind, as well as labor does the body."--Seneca

Living Fit Is My #1 Job!

11 comments:

Sayre said...

Approaching other people is always a tricky thing... for exactly the reasons you stated. What brought you around? Was it some stranger making a comment? Or was it someone closer, who knew you and cared about what was going to happen? I think all you can do is hope that the stranger has someone who cares about him/her or that he/she wakes up one day to what they are doing to themselves.

I'm with you on the buffet. On our way back home on Sunday, we stopped at a buffet. Starving, we were! The "awesome" potroast was actually pretty tasty, but everything else was awful. The desserts usually include something sugar free, but whatever they'd had was gone. Nothing else looked even remotely appealing, so I had a very small bowl of ice cream with a drop of hot fudge on it. And amazingly, that was plenty!!!

But after that experience, I don't think I'll be all that interested the next time a buffet is suggested.

Congrats on your loss. It's a loss - take it!!!!

Apex Zombie said...

Yeah, that's a really hard thing. I don't think there's anyway you can approach someone about that, unless you're close to them.

But congrats on another loss man!

"The Captain" said...

Halfman,
Great job on the weight loss. Sorry for all the trolls posting on my site. I removed them, but I haven't blogged in over 2 weeks.
Jeff

Moby Dick said...

Join us at the HALLOWEEN CHALLENGE!

THE WITCHES' EVE WILL SEE US FINALLY GET IT TOGETHER!!!!

Lose weight or lose your soul!

We are finally ready to kick your b*tt, Halfie!

Moby Dick said...

I agree when someone tells me to lose weight I would like to stick a pencil into their eye and say SEE???

It is like telling the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear.

Except that we the FAT FUX can cure our own disability, unlike the lame, blind, deaf, etc.

So maybe it is God telling us to lose weight and using the insensitive tools to send His message?

cmae said...

I don't feel it's appropriate to give out advice to someone about losing weight unless I am asked, and even then I would probably only comment on what has worked for me. I gave unsolicited weight loss advice once when I was young and stupid and really hurt someone's feelings. There are just too many factors involved in why people are overweight for me to comment intelligently on it without knowing a person really, REALLY well, and even then...I am not with any person while they eat every meal, and I'm not inside any person's head, so how could I give advice about what will surely work for them?

Kim Ayres said...

I cannot tell when I've eaten enough by feeling full, as I don't feel full until about 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour later - by which time I can have eaten a whole pile more and end up feeling very sick.

So I have to judge food by how much it looks like on the plate - finish the plate and I've probably had enough, even if I stil feel hungry.

This means buffets are an absolute nightmare for me. All that food and you can keep going up for more.

Lethal.

If asked, I will give advice about the problems I faced and how I overcame them, but I would never presume to tell someone they had a problem. We have no idea of the root causes and what they're already doing. It is the ultimate in crass egoness to think we know so much better than everyone else.

Nice to see Spider thinks he's the voice of God now. Must make him feel important.

Pandora Woman said...

You know I have had this discussion in the past 18 months several times.

How do I react to well meant comments by others on my obesity. It depends........

If it is some one who knows me, knows of me and my struggles, my life, my like and dislikes, I will welcome heartfelt comments, incentives and even critism. But when a casual friend, acquaintance or even passer by tries to do the same, I would like to do very much what spidey states: stick a pencil into their eye.

I have two lovely and warmhearted great friends, we form the three musketets (as in female musketeers), and one wonderfule equally warmhearted, helpful male friend, who can and will give me unsollicited advice and critism. I welcome it from them, and when I feel like it act upon it. Likewise I WILL tell them when I feel something is going wrong.

The words spoken stem from care, concern and love. The need to see them happy and healthy. There is no need for me to feel superior or godlike in commenting on their lives.

I myself would not very easily offer my opinion unsollicited. Should I do that to a comparative stranger, I am sure one of the reasons would be for me too feel better about myself. I don't need that, and they do not need that either.

Hugs,

Willow

Anonymous said...

The foods in Buffets is always high in Fat and Salt, as it is so processed, so you may have had water retention. The weight is still going down though.

Anonymous said...

Its a monthly trend that we are looking for. Its just a once off

Anonymous said...

There is something about all you can eat buffets that is wrong to resist.