Man, I was looking at the comparative picture the folks at Medifast added to my post yesterday and I can’t believe the difference! I didn’t realize the change was so dramatic, mostly because I look at myself every day. It definitely boosts my morale and adds inspiration to my journey.

That photo also shows something that has enabled me to be fat my whole life and that is my body type and height. I’m “big boned” in the sense I have a large chest and broad shoulders. That has always masked my weight. I don’t have the typical fat guy shape of just having a big gut, I tend to gain weight pretty proportionately. People always tell me “you’re not fat, you’re just a big guy” and I subconsciously use that as an excuse to not address my obesity. I’m fat…that is it. I’m still 320 pounds, and that my friends, qualifies me for an obesity label. I don’t mind the label either, it reminds me of my journey and how important it is.

I have all but forgotten what I look like when not obese. I am so looking forward to regular sized pants, being able to shop for clothes in the same stores everyone else does and not feeling uncomfortable in my own body. When I’m done, I should weigh in somewhere around 220 pounds, so I have 100 pounds to lose still. I have a long journey ahead and I am looking forward to each day of it!

A couple of people also asked if I was sucking in my gut in that picture. The answer is no. It just happens to be that my wife took the picture and she is a good deal shorter then I am, so it created the illusion of me sucking in my gut when in fact the picture was taken at a low angle. I tend to look good when standing and facing people (well, as good as my ugly mug can be!), my body shape hides my fat from that angle. When viewed from the side, it is a different story all together.

NOTE: If you are only seeing a single picture of me, no comparison, you need to hit “refresh” in you browser… the original picture of me was replaced with another of the same name so it will not display if it is cached in your web browser.