When Chris first popped up on the Internet’s radar, he called himself Sprite Boy. He was a wee New York City gay webkid, who had a blog called Sprite Boy World. A blog! Not a Tumblr, or a Twitter, or a Facebook, or a ChatRoulette. But a blog! He now calls himself LittleBigChris. Or, actually, LittleBiggerChris. Because like Oprah, one day he woke up and realized he was fat.
His words, not ours. “So I’m fat,” Chris wrote yesterday. “Currently weighing in at 169 (altho sometimes my scale says 170), I’ve been gaining roughly 10lbs a year for the last 3yrs. This is the heaviest I’ve ever been, I don’t really like what I see when I look in the mirror anymore, and I certainly don’t like how I feel. My good clothes no longer fit, I have moobs you can see if I wear a T shirt, I’m snoring louder in my sleep, find myself taking an breath when I’m doing something simple like crossing my legs or tying my shoes. I’m lugging extra weight around and it’s weird, I’m only 30.”
Weight gain creeps up on many of us. And sometimes it’s just easier to ignore the obvious. But Chris isn’t letting that happen. He’s calling his effort “Project Jawline,” an attempt to reclaim that horizontal line that separates the chin from the neck. He’s at 170 pounds now. He wants to get down to around 135.
After the first step (acknowledging the situation), the second is understanding how you got here: “It’s a combination of getting older (slower metabolism), loading up on junk (snack cakes, Doritos, LOTS of soda and overly sweetened tea) when I’m feeling munchy, and also eating way too late at night — Domino’s Pizza and spaghetti aren’t supposed to be consumed at midnight before bed. I also don’t stay hydrated enough and often find myself waking up THIRSTY as hell, stumbling to the kitchen, and taking a big gulp of soda to quench my dryness. I never grew up eating balanced meals, and spent the last 12yrs on my own in NYC where it’s just cheaper to buy McDonald’s on the way home than buy groceries and make a full meal. I have no excuses, just answers — I know the reasons why I’ve been gaining weight over the last few years. It’s not cute. I want my jawline back.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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The third step is plotting strategy. Enter Medifast, the meals-by-subscription service that drops off pre-prepared foods at your doorstep, calorie counts in check. The marketers of these programs — and there are many, originally aimed at women but quickly realizing men make up a whole new customer base — want you thinking they can take the guesswork out of eating. No more worrying about carb-protein-fat ratios, trans fat, fiber, and what a “serving size” actually means. We’ve heard many success stories about these programs; we’ve also heard less impressive results. But hey, to each his own. And big props to Chris for letting this play out on YouTube (and Queerty), where onlookers can be means sons of bitches.
For Chris, who is 5-foot-4, he’s “approaching this Medifast program like a trial, an investment in my health — unlike luggage or teeth whitening, which we like to SAY is an investment in ourselves but really is just spending excessively. I’m giving myself a shot here to change what I normally do and hopefully get some results. One month and I’ll see how it goes. It’s a starting off point. My food order arrives on Monday and I’ll begin on Tuesday. Will it be worth it? Let’s see.”
We will!
ChicagoJimmy
Good luck! Giving up the McD’s and other fast food will really get the ball rolling.
TommyOC
Like alcoholics and drug addicts, the first step in recovery from obesity (for those who don’t suffer from bad genetics or other disease) is admission of the problem.
I – a begrudgingly admitted obese man (albeit with a high self body image, but with clothing sizes that don’t agree) – sympathize with Chris to an extreme. An I hope that he has some success. I’ve looked into these prepared meal plans and if they’re as good as they bill themselves as being, I’m there as well.
I’m subscribing to this kid’s channel… and I wish him the best of luck!
All of your fortunate skinny boys – the ones who are blessed with the high motabs despite a sedentary lifestyle – best be on your best behavior. There’s no reason to bring down this guy’s efforts.
Brian NYC
It is probably a lack of exercise AND a poor diet. It takes effort to remain fit. Fit is healthy. Healthy is important.
Most of America is now FAT. Children grow up with fat parents. People are fighting fat-discrimination. But, we fail to recognize that if we are fat – we did it. Obesity should be stigmatized simply because it is unhealthy. It is now the number one health problem, eclipsing cigarette smoking.
Chris needs to get busy now with a real exercise program. If he waits any longer it will become almost impossible to reverse the damage done by obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. Plus, by becoming fit he’ll be more attractive. Healthy and attractive should be very compelling incentives.
Lukas P.
Good luck, Chris! Changing eating habits is hard work, and so is exercise but I bet you’ll find yourself motivated as you start losing some weight and feeling better physically and mentally!
GimmeABreak
Good luck! You can do it. I lost 55 lbs (from 216 down to 161) and it’s been two years since I’ve had a soda or fast food. I used a national program that delivers prepared meals and began exercising. For the first 30 days, I CRAVED fast food. It was the ONLY thing I would think about. For part of that 30 days, I didn’t drive unless I had somebody with me in the car to keep me from stopping at a fast food joint. But, after the first 30 days, it got easier and easier. If you can make it 30 days, your brain really does begin changing your behavior.
RWG
I’m going to hike the Northville-Lake Placid Trail (133 miles) starting May 1. Why don’t you come with me? Guaranteed you’ll improve your overall health, and sense of well-being, by the time we finish the hike two weeks later. P.S. I have a lot of experience in the Big Woods of New York. You’ll be perfectly safe and have a blast! Get out of the city for a while….discover Adirondack Park.
Brian NYC
@RWG: Bring condoms.
TommyOC
@Brian NYC: “Plus, by becoming fit he’ll be more attractive.”
While I completely agree with your sentiment, it’s important to remember that some people love extra meat on their bones. Beauty being in the eye of the beholder and all that.
Also, you don’t make the direct statement, so I’ll make it for you:
“Fit” does NOT equal “not fat.” Anyone who thinks otherwise is crazy. While having excess fat puts you at risk of certain diseases and disorders, plenty of slender people are at many of the same risks due to lifestyle. This is the silent danger with slender people; while fat people can see the correllation between health and size, slender people don’t have that visual indicator.
moses
Hallo blogger,
I’m a blogger and my blogs are about ‘losing weight’. I was impressed when I read about the same topic on your blog. I’m indeed interested to link up with your blog. Please let met know if you are also interested. My blog address is: http://how-to-loss-weight-fast-and-easy.blogspot.com/
many thanks
moses