Below 12 stone...

Well, though many of my posts have been rants about things, I felt it prudent to post on something I am happy with. I've been working out and eating healthier for the last one and a half years, and I have made definite improvements.

I have always been a heavy-set person, throughout school I was one of the 'fat kids,' never really considerably obese, but definitely overweight. In high school, as a result of being dumped by my first boyfriend, and dealing with all the shit of coming out, I became quite depressed. As a result, back in 2002, I began losing weight- I was not eating as much, and to work through the depression, I pushed myself to more physical extremes in marching band than I otherwise would have. Mostly though, my weight loss was due to not eating very much and the chemical changes that Prozac (I was put on 30mg per day) cause. Anyone who has been on Prozac will know that it typically causes weight loss in men and weight gain in women... sorry ladies... I believe I got down as far as 13 stone... ish... something like that.

However, I think the Prozac, at least when I weened myself off of it by later 2004, had completely destroyed my metabolism, and I quickly gained weight again. Then again, perhaps it was the ale... in any event, for most of my undergraduate days I was quite 'hefty.' Ok, yeah, I ate considerably larger portions than I should have... it was all a mistake.

The greatest sin in the gay community is being overweight. Seriously. Yes, it's vain and shallow, but the fact is that slim, fit and healthy gay men get loads of attention. Fat gay men must rely completely on their personalities, and suffice it to say, my personality is not exactly the most charming... well, at least not at first- initially I think people see me as aloof and pretentious, whereas I am really just shy.

A year and a half ago I was roughly 210 pounds (15 stone) with a 16.5 inch neck, 47 inch chest and 42 inch waist... A lot of my unhappiness was likely due to my being overweight. Forgive me for being shallow and vain too, but as a gay man, I have received considerably more positive attention since I have lost weight. A lot more... and I'm happier for it. I am 168 pounds (12 stone) and dropping. I have a 15 inch neck, 42 inch chest and 33 inch waist.

I have also put on considerably more muscle, and I believe that is the key... increasing muscle mass increases the metabolism. If I have a good metabolism, I can eat more. But, to lose weight, I try to stay in a net calorific deficiency. I could certainly eat 2500 calories a day, but I try to eat the right stuff, green leafy veggies (rabbit food...) and only about 2000 calories a day.

I just also want to add that crash dieting doesn't work! It will destroy the body's metabolism! Building a strong metabolism through exercise and eating healthy food does work! I'm not on any sort of ridiculous diet- I still drink ale, I still eat pizza and pasta (albeit usually whole-wheat now). Everything in moderation is the key...

I still have a way to go before I have a six-pack, but I'm on the way!