As some of you know, last August 10th I embarked on a journey it took me ten years to start. That’s the problem with change. I think it was Andy Grove who said, “Real change is instantaneous – deciding to change can take forever.” One of my former bosses told me that, and it took a while to sink in, but I’m glad it finally did.
I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner. I would spend more time worrying about it, moping about all the time I could have been young and in shape and living it up in the clubs or as a male stripper or cavorting with supermodels or pillaging across Asia like Marlon Brando or like Vince Vaughn in “Return to Paradise.” I watched as some friends did exactly that. I watched and stayed fat. I would be more regretful if I wasn’t having so much effing fun now.
I feel like a huge emotional tumor has been removed. The Feeling is back, this time to stay. The monkey has been evicted, and my living room is elephant free. At least for now, things are really really good. It’s summer from now on, and every day outside the fat suit and diabetes-free is pure goddamned gravy.
The problem with dreams is they’re huge emotional blobs of desire – you know what they are, you know you want them, but how do you know when you have them? Is finishing that book enough? Would you be happy with that? Or does the dream also have to include getting it published? Getting it reviewed? Making money on it? Bestseller? Poet Laureate? What do you want? Does your dream of being financially covered include having money to travel? to buy real estate? How many millions would be enough? How do you know when your dreams come true?
This would all be easier if life were like sports or game shows. Winners, losers, time’s up – here’s the trophy, here are your stats, full house beats a flush. I wish we could also have: “Wow – according to this, I only need four more rejection letters before my screenplay gets picked up for a pilot.” “Two more auditions and I’ll have a paying gig.” “I’m 20% of the way toward taking my company public.” In life, you rarely know if your decisions are good until much, much later, if at all. The only solution is to keep making them. The worst thing to do is nothing, which is what I did for ten years, sitting fat while the rest of the world partied around me. I saw the world; I had fun; but I always had this RoboTech exoskeleton of fat shielding me from emotional harm.
So as this day approached, my doctors and I went back and forth – when will I be done? everyone around me has been telling me to stop for quite some time, but, while well-intentioned, they’re not qualified. My dream of being in good shape was almost here – hell, maybe it already was.
There are a few ways to measure “weight-health” – one is the BMI (Body Mass Index.) It’s a simple ratio of height & weight to mortality, and it’s a general guideline for what you should weigh. A BMI of 25 is the high end of healthy. Mine is about 28 right now. Overweight, but much better than when I started, when it was 45. Another is measuring your body fat. The calipers don’t work for squat – ignore them. You have to go to the dunk tank.
I took two good friends with me to the Exercise Physiology department at SFSU. There the technician weighed me, checked my height, and sat me in a tank of water on a scale. I repeatedly dunked myself, held very still and expelled all my air. After several consistent readings, the tester plugs the values into a formula and out pops a number. It varies by age, by sex, and believe it or not, very slightly by race. (The Japanese are built differently than most of us for some reason.)
I was told that for a male my age, body fat of less than 16% is healthy, less than 20% is good. When I started this long-overdue journey last August, I weighed 352.2 lbs. According to the goal weight recommended by the BMI, my target was 195, which as you’ll see, is unattainable, even undesirable for me. Here are my final numbers:
214.6 lbs. 192.2 lbs of lean body mass. 10% body fat. Almost 140 lbs lost in less than a year. over 200 lbs lost from my all-time high.
I’m done, and my doctors agree. I hereby declare this dream “come true.”
For those gambling on how long it’s going to take for me to regain all this weight, here’s a tip to avoid losing your shirts. Don’t ever bet against me. I am making it my mission in life to take you down.
Onto the next dream, fellow dreamers – what’ll it be?
PS: This is for the people I’ve lost.
I wanted to do this with you, but you had to leave. I’m sorry I couldn’t do it before now. I promise never to waste this precious life again. Don’t wait up for me. It’s going to be awhile. Look at me Grandma! I did it!
lots of people really proud of you…heckuva an accomplishment, pardner.
Congratulations on achieving your dream. I just want to let you know that I find you amazing and your determination to lose weight is admirable. But I think your wife might be getting worried about your new look attracting some women’s attention. LOL.
You have accomplished something awesome and are a real inspiration to us all trying to lose the weight. What’s your secret? Anyway! Congrats! I love your site- you are so funny!
I’m sure Grams has been giving you “gold circles” the whole time……We are all very proud of you!
You have accomplished a great feat! I am really impressed and amazed! You look fabulous and truly healthy! You also look REALLY happy. Not one of the old pictures of you has a genuine smile, but NOW, OMG! I know it took alot of hard work and you really did it!
Hey Jon, remember me, Ricardo, from the Caribbean Series in Santo Domingo? Anyway man, I don’t post much in your site, but I’ve been reading it regularly since we met, and I just wanted to congratulate you and wish you the best, man. People who criticize you are just jealous, so screw them…
What a wonderful recount of your experience on the program. I think you look really great and have been a great inspiration to me to even begin this program. I am only 1/4 through (started April 8th). Maybe I’ll be done in December. I’ll bet every day is like a brand new experience for you. I know your children are the most lucky that they will have you around for a long, long time. Congratulations!
Congrats.
Thanks for the inspiration. Not to mention giving me reading material for when I’m at work :>
Jon:
Congratulations on your superhuman accomplishment! After looking at the pictures of you through time, it’s hard for an observer to believe it’s true. However, it is true because of your determination, persistence, and sacrifices over the last ten months.
What’s next?
People who haven’t seen you this year won’t recognise you, so you can ignore them or play practical jokes on them. (For effectiveness, fake a sore throat because your voice is one of the few things people will recognize.) Some people will admire you, follow your example, and improve their lives. Others will act indifferently, because they have no concept for weighing 400 pounds and what you have gone through. Yet others, motivated by jealousy or indifference, will sabotage or tempt you.
It will take time to get used to the ‘new you’. Savor it, enjoy it,and share it.
Your mentor, Herb
You don’t know me, but I am amazingly proud of you! Good work on this, and congratulations on making such an important overhaul of yer life!
(clapping enthusiastically)
Way to go!!!!
Congratulations and thank you for being an inspiration to the rest of us who are looking to lose our own half!!!
Congrats on a truly excellent achievement.
Jon,
Congratulations. This is an amazing story lived by an amazing person. Not only are you dedicated to achieve your goals, you also have a way with words. Ever consider writing?
See you on the courts of Koret.
Nick
Jon,
Stumbled upon your site while following links (bored on my lunch break). The first one I cam to was your outrageously funny “May I take your order?” page. I “fave”‘ed you and have enjoyed catching up on your previous posts. I especially enjoy your Manglish posts. Then I run across this one. Damn, Jon, what a great story. You are certainly one to be admired and respected for this accomplishment. THe touhgest part is still ahead of you though, as your body will fight you to get back to where it was. Based on what I’ve read about you so far, you’re more than up for the challenge.
You have a wonderful family there to support you too! I married into a Chinese family as well and they are amazing (once they get past that “What? My daughter is going to marry a WHITE/American guy???” phase). My father-in-law doesn’t have an occupation as cool as yours, but he’s still worthy of every ounce of respect a guy can get. Your wife and children are so beautiful (I also have two “hybrids”, as my scientist wife calls them) and I know just having them love you is all the inspiration you’ll need to keep yourself on track.
God bless ya, buddy!
You the man Jon, proud of you. Take care and keep up the amazing work. Hopefully someday I’ll visit and say hello in California. Later, Rick Lowe- Oregon
Wow. Well done you.
I stumbled on your site, but just couldn’t leave without saying, Congratulations! Wow. What an accomplishment.
Loving your blog. Haven’t left your page in about an hour. Let me just say I have a sister who is about 330 lbs. She has been overweight her entire life. I need to direct her to your site. Know anyone in FL who runs the same type of program, or perhaps you could send me your doctor’s info?? I’d love to see my gorgeous sister out of the rut she’s lived in for so long. AND believe me when I say she is absolutely beautiful, both inside and out.
CONGRATULATIONS! How truly fantastic! I’m inspired by you!
Congratulations!
I must say, you look more dashing when slim! Stay fit now!
Dude! You have lost some serious weight since being at Exactly!
Just cruising the web, looking for funny translation errors, stumbled on your page.
Loved the manglish stuff, freakin hilarious. With your writing skills and photographic talent you should seriously approach some publishers to do a coffee table book. I’d buy it! I just know Urban Outfitters would stock it…
Then I saw this page –
In the earlier photos you were just another tubby American.
And now – GODDAMN!!
You’re hot!
Is it hard getting used to women staring at you all the time??
Anyway, well done.
And PS – the kids are just meltingly cute.
@anonymous girl – There is a book in the planning stages. And as for getting used to women staring at me – yeah, it’s totally old hat now.
Oh man, you are hella inspirational.
Did you ever have times where you felt like giving up? Or did you just plow through?
I’m proud of you and I hope I have similar success.
No.
I’m sure I will!
Thanks for bing inspirational.
great job hope you are inspired to keep a new and healthy life for you and your family
Congratulations! Your focus and determination are admirable. Believing in yourself is half the battle and you did it!
You da man, Rahoi. You da man.
Thanks for the information… I actually like this blog. I bookmarked this post and will unquestionably be making a return visit.
Good information in your blogpost, I saw a report on television last week about this same thing and since I am going to be married a few weeks from now and the timing could not have been better! thanks for the info!, I have bookmarked, thanks Mattie Maglaras
yea wonderful Work
i saw vince vaugn in person and this guy is really tall*`,
Having already mastered the art of menswear due to the fact that decline, it’s set to consider the most elegant course of action to off as when temps leave apropos south. Fortunately, you won’t take to look much farther than your closet to wrap yourself in up to date goodness.It’s like they were saying, we know you make to abrasion your [url=http://www.uchristianlouboutin.com]Christian Louboutin shoes[/url] a heterogeneity of weird ways, we know these be experiencing to look after the needs of a perseverance in your survival in regard to the weekend, when you’re with your kids, when you’re at work, when you’re going senseless at gloaming,So here’s a approach you can inherit the most entirely of something that you from in your closet. And if you look at it like that, it’s like, ‘wow, this is gonna indication hip life into how I wear everything.
There are no rules suitable in the present climate in fashion. You can be bewitching morning, noontime and night. You can incorporate prints. You can show sequins in the sun. The alone supervision is to try to look your best and to secure make sport and pet honourableness about what [url=http://www.uchristianlouboutin.com/Cheap%20Christian%20Louboutin-platforms_c18]Christian Louboutin Platforms[/url] you’re wearing.
vince vaughn’s height is very impressive and he is a handsome guy too’~~
Interesting post
There’s nothing like being lean. In today’s era of fastfood, we mustworkout more often and get rid off our unhealthy diet habits. It’s not extremely hard. You only need to stick to a diet program and keep going until you reach your goals.
Thank you for sharing this with your us.
I found your site on google and read a few of your other posts. i added you to the Google News Reader. Keep up the good work count on reading more from you later on.