How Did I Get Here?: Part 4

When we last left our husky hero, it was the exit of the eighties and he was lost in funk, looking for direction.  Unfortunately, that direction was heading toward even larger pant sizes and a car full of fast food wrappers.  Also, a need to fill his social calendar.  That outlet was found early 1990 in the form of karaoke.  I was a voice major in college and people were always telling me I should go sing at karaoke down at the Ground Round in Springfield, NJ.  It took me a long while to get up the courage to go sing, but once I did, I found something that not only sated my artistic bent, but also quenched the desire to meet people in a social setting. 

 
I remember the first song I sang that night, Sister Golden Hair by America.  The reaction of the crowd was very favorable and I was hooked.  I have always been one who sought the approval of others and this gave me that fix.  Three and four times a night, I could have the attention of others all to myself and they showered me with pats on the back, drinks for requests filled and sometimes outright gushing of admiration over my singing prowess.  This was a shot to the ego an insecure fat guy could learn to like quite a bit.  People didn't see me as the overweight loner at the bar.  They saw me as a talented, affable guy they wanted to come sit at their table and hang with.  I ate it up...along with a lot of nachos, chicken wings and fried anythings that are served at such establishments.

 
I found myself so into this newly discovered ego boost that I was literally going out seven nights a week to sing.  Now I am not the guy that goes into a joint and drinks a soda or water or some other low priced beverage.  I have always thought that if you are going to take up a seat somewhere, you should support the place and spend some money.  That meant drinks and food.  Alcohol and bar food seven nights a week can pack on the pounds in hurry.  Did I mention that I smoked back in those days too?  Smoking and drinking went hand in hand for me.  If I were to calculate how many beers/cocktails I might have had in a given year, it would likely go something like this: 3 drinks a night, 7 nights a week equals 1092 drinks a year.  Between beers and gin & tonics (my beverage of choice when cocktailing back in the day), a conservative guess of 160 calories each would come to...are you sitting down?  175,200 calories annually.  Add in probably around 7000 calories a week in golden, crispy, delicious cholesterol bombs and you would make 540,200 calories per year, OVER AND ABOVE my three large squares a day!  Not hard to see how by 1996 I expanded to around 350 pounds, is it?

 
In 1994 I hooked up with a wedding band that heard me at the bandleader's weekly karaoke gig.  I spent about a year with them and during that time met someone that I was in a relationship with from about August of 1995 to July of 1996.  She wasn't anything significant to the the topic I write of here, other than the fact that once it was over, I was lonely, bored, and did little else but stay at home, watch TV and eat crap.  The closest thing I a had to relationship for the next two years was with Kumar, the Domino's guy.  I finally decided I needed to go find some friends and get out more.  That is exactly what I did.

 
I knew what I had to do to find a social life.  I would go out and sing.  The conversations would start easily I would meet new people every time.  I wasn't all that interested in dating at the time.  I just wanted camaraderie and something more stimulating than watching Bob Ross painting, from my couch (say it with me now...a little bit of blue...a little bit of blue...oh look! Mr. Tree has a happy little friend! *YouTube search Bob Ross to see the human Quaalude, himself.)  Many of the people I met back in the days of The Sports Section in Roselle Park are still very near and dear to me.  I have been in their weddings, been godfather to their children, and consider some of them family.  Interestingly enough, those people shared a passion for food and drink, just like Yours Truly.  The cycle of gluttony would continue on, only not in private, but with partners in crime.

 
More in the next installment of "How Did I Get Here?" on my surge to peak enormity at the dawn of a new millennium.

 
Cya,
M

 
Here is what I ate and how I exercised today:
Breakfast ~ Oatmeal  and a Skinny Decaf Mocha at Starbucks after a business meeting.  The oatmeal without their brown sugar topping, their mixed nuts and half of the mixed dried fruit was 290 calories of filling tastiness.
Lunch ~ Business lunch out a Chinese restaurant.  Steamed chicken and mixed veg, sauce on the side and brown rice.
Afternoon snack ~ 2 carrots and some hummus
Dinner ~ Brussels spouts soup with veggie protein sausage crumbles
Exercise ~ None today.  It should be a beautiful Saturday to get in some serious mileage.