Size Does Matter

My Welcome post from Monday said I would give you insight into what it's like to be a fat man in a world made for people half  my size.  Not much lightheartedness today.  These are sobering and sad realities when laid in front of you.  Being obese literally affects every aspect of my life.  It impacts career, marriage, clothes, being a performer, traveling, sleeping, finances, dining out, and even the size of a toilet seat can turn the mundane into a stressful endeavor.  A bitter truth is that people have less respect for the obese.  You may read this and say "Not me."  But trust me, even you feel differently about those who are considerably large.

Frankly each time I am confronted with a scenario involving one of the preceding issues, I die a little inside.  It is demoralizing.  If I get into someones car and the seat belt won't fit, I'm mortified.  Asking for a table instead of a booth at a restaurant usually is presented as a matter-of-fact request, but it is embarrassing at best.  When traveling by air, I not only need to request a seat belt extension but being wedged into an airline seat for hours on end is brutal, not to mention the look of horror when my rowmates see me coming.  I fear that I am excluded from certain high level meetings in my job because of my size.  Once at at Springsteen concert, despite my best efforts to not to invade the space of the guy to my right (and I truly believe I wasn't), I was literally told "Hey buddy.  Not for nothing, but when I paid for this seat I didn't plan on sharing it with you."

Sleeping causes me toss and turn at because my hips bother me when prone.  Clothes are not only considerably more expensive but considerably less stylish. This has however improved over the years.  I didn't sing much at all from 1996 to 2002 because I wouldn't dare have a group of people focusing on me alone.  And let me assure you that all toilet seats are not created equal.  Without too much detail, I can tell you that it's like doing your business through a Cheerio.  Lastly, I have great respect for my wife in marrying me for the person I am on the inside. She married me at about the size I am now. But there are so many things I would like to experience with her that are beyond me...at least for the moment. 

This will all be diminishing in the not so distant future.  I so look forward to doing what most people take for granted.  Living life to its fullest and not having to think twice about if I CAN do something, but only if I WANT to.  I don't want anyone to read this and feel sorry for me.  I don't feel sorry for myself one iota.  I accept the choices I have made in my life as mine alone and I can only change the future.  But if you have a problem with food, please ask yourself if that piece of cake or drive thru visit is worth going through any of the above.  If the devil on your shoulder tells you otherwise, flip him the bird and make a better choice.

Thanks for so many readers this first week. Kindly tell a friend to join us if you think it is of value.

Cya tomorrow,

M

What I ate today:

Breakfast ~ potato hash omelet w/avocado and pan seared tomatoes (Recipe below because it was f'n good!)

Mid-morning snack ~ 1/2 a banana

Lunch ~ Taco Bell Fresco Bean Burrito.  It really is a filling, healthy choice and for $1.29, a cheap one at that.

Mid-afternoon snack ~ Starbucks' Decaf Skinny Mocha Caffe

Dinner ~ 1 medium eggplant, sliced and broiled with a tad of EVOO and seasoning, accompanied by the last of my hearty homemade minestrone.  I will post the recipe tomorrow.

Potato Hash Omelet

2 large eggs (If you can, use the cage free organic eggs)

½ a small red onion

About 3 Tbs diced red pepper

½ cup of diced potato

1 roma tomato or any tomato of your choosing. Buy what looks good.

3-4 slices of avocado

2 basil leaves

Salt and pepper to taste 

Dice ½ of the tomato and slice the other half, set slices aside.  In a fry pan coated with PAM add potatoes, red pepper, and onion.  Salt to taste, but watch your salt intake.  Cook until nicely browned. Once done, turn off heat and add the diced tomatoes and allow to warm through.  Whisk eggs with 1TB skim milk. Add 2 large basil leaves cut into very thin strips to the egg mixture.  In another pan coated with PAM, cook your eggs, omelet style, then add your potato mixture and 3-4 slices of avocado. Fold and plate.  In the potato pan, add the tomato slices and caramelize them on each side.  Season everything to taste and enjoy! 

331 calories, 19 grams fat