Theantijared-exposed

Yesterday, I got a Direct Message on Twitter from Mizfit which said:

would you ever do this? http://mizfitonline.com/2009/11/17/mizfit-exposed/

She exposed herself on her blog.

Now, I am pretty sure I was not the only one who got it. I was not singled out. Yet, it made me think.

So many people are stripping down and revealing themselves.

To me, a guy who was over 400 pounds, that is not revealing.

I am going to expose something different about myself. See, you know a lot about me, yet you know absolutely nothing about me.

You know those tank-top pictures you see of me plastered on my blog. Although that is me, that is a quick glimpse into me at the gym.

The truth is that I hate wearing tank tops. I have never worn one for over ten minutes. I only wear it to take pictures for my blog and then quickly put on a sweatshirt. When I take pictures in my backyard,I am wearing a tank-top for 2 minutes.

Here is the true Tony at the gym and in life :

Under Armor Skull Cap- When I was losing weight, I always promised myself I would buy something by Under Armor. You always see athletes wearing the brand. Once I started losing weight and working out, I kind of felt the shirts were pretentious. But I did make a promise to wear the brand, so I always wear the skull cap, to remind me of reaching a goal.

Florida XL sweatshirt- I am not a Florida fan. I bought the sweatshirt for $4.00 at Kohl's. I am proud of the deal! I have always worn hoodies. It was the only thing I felt comfortable in when I weighed 400 pounds. It reminds me of the struggle. I also always wear sweatshirts 1-2 sizes bigger than I need. When I used to wear them, they were always tight. I do not want that happening again.

Wal-Mart Starter sweatpants- This is rare. I always wear sweat shorts. It could be 30 degrees, and I would wear sweat shorts. I got these when I was visiting my parents in Charlotte last year. It was 2 degrees outside, and I wanted to work out. Before going to the gym, I stopped at Wal-Mart and bought these so I could workout. These remind me that weather will not be an excuse for me.In fact, I will not make excuses.

Mis-Match socks- One is bigger than the other. I was in a rush today, and I really did not care as long as they were both black.

Nike shoes- When I was over 400 pounds, I had to wear a size 12 shoe. After losing weight, I can now wear regular shoes in my size 10 1/2. These are the second pair of Nike shoes I have ever owned.

You would be shocked if you met me. I do not talk about weight loss.I am very shy. I would rather hear about your life then tell you about mine.

I do not like when I hear people call me"The Anti-Jared", so few people outside of the Internet know about my blog.

I love chatting with people on Facebook, yet do not answer as many "weight-loss" emails anymore because I am not a weight loss expert. Just someone who put a plan into action.

I guess I can be summed up in two statements:

1. I am a fat kid who does not want to be fat anymore

2. I am popular enough to be different

Syndicated Secret Telling Wednesday

My bloggie friend Carlos is not blogging as often, so I decided to steal his Wednesday secret telling post.

Now, he is much more exciting than I am. He has all those fantastic risque tales. Yet, I do have a couple up my sleeve:

I have a phobia of being late to anything. I have never been "on time" to anything in my life. I am usually 30-45 minutes early to everything.

I love the comments that Foolsfitness leaves.

No matter if it is a funny post or serious post, he leaves the same type of comment:

"I am sorry to hear that you lost a limb. Here at Foolsfitness, we would give an arm and a leg to have your courage!"

There was a point in my life where I hated my name, and I tried to have people call me TL. It did not work.

I, like Carlos, hate roller coasters. When I was younger, I got sick off of one called "Scooby Doo". Yes, I lost all of my Scooby Snacks!

That is all. He only puts one up secret on his blog, so I decided to put up four.

What "secrets" do you have?

HAWT Jobs

I am a pretty hard worker. I always have been, even when I was overweight.

After a 12-14 hour day of asking guests how their Quesadillas were, my wife says the same thing to me every time I walk through the door:

"You smell like work."

Now, she appreciates my work ethic. She knows I take pride in what I do.

She is not fond of me smelling like a restaurant when I come home.

I think it might be time to start looking for a sexier job. I mean, I have lost weight and put on some muscle. Plus, I want my wife to say this to me when I come home:

"You....smell like....WORK (wink)!" (Hence the wink)

So here are some options for my new sexier job:

1. I could work construction. I would only work during lunchtime downtown with a jack hammer. I would go to work with a white tank top and while the ladies would be on lunch break, they would whistle at me.

2. I could work as a Chippendale stripper.

Pro's-

Nothing says sexy like no shirt and a bow tie.
I would be able to do C and C Music Factory some justice with my running man
Good workout
Baby formula is very expensive

Con's-

It is not 1989

3. I could work as a UPS driver. I would hate to drive the truck. I would just go into offices and go directly to the secretary and say:

"Hey Doris :)! I have this package, can you sign for it."

4. I could deliver the water for water coolers. The women always swoon over them. Plus, I could carry two at a time.

5. I could be in a boy band. Just like NKOTB! I am kind of like Donny, tough yet lovable!

6. I could be a lumberjack. Just like Brawny!

Well maybe not. I mean, there is not many people who can go to a table and say:

"I hope your cheese fries are cheese-a-riffic!"

I guess I will always smell like work.

Do the math!

There are some days where I wish I was like other dieters.

I wish I lost the weight on a low calorie plan.
That I ate six small meals a day.
I monitored how much water I took in.
I wish I would post great low-calorie recipes and post my workouts.

Those are very few days!

Earlier this year, I tried to do something called "Maintain My Maintenance".

I wrote a letter to a good amount of food companies (General Mills, Dole, Etc.) and talked about my story. I also asked if I could get samples of the foods that I eat for plugs on my blog.

One company was very interested in me ( I will not say the name, but let's just say they have their initials on eggs).

I told them how I eat their eggs a lot. When I am in the grocery store, and I get hungry, I would buy their pre-boiled eggs and eat them. People would look at me funny, yet, I did not go crazy and eat everything insight. Just those eggs.

They sent me a e-mail and asked me to go into detail on how their eggs helped me lose the weight.

I told them how I loved eggs and how healthy eggs are. How I changed the way I ate.

I got back this e-mail:

"That is great. Do you only eat our eggs? I mean, we are not looking for a Jared spokesperson."

For twenty years, I have felt like a weight loss failure. I would try a diet and wonder why I could not succeed.
For twenty years, I have felt like the world has laughed at me. Society would tell me to buy a pill, or eat a certain way, and I would, only to find myself unsuccessful.
For twenty years, I blamed myself for my weight. Well, I deserve a lot of the blame, but not all of it.

All I had to do was send an email back to this company and tell them I only use their eggs (Like they would have ever known). I could have told them I eat 20 eggs a day, and I could have given them a ton of egg recipes. Who knows where it could have lead to.

Yet, I can not lie to people. You will not lose 200 pounds on eggs. You will not lose 200 pounds on subs or any gimmick.

Once you lose the weight, it is not easier. It is easy to say I lost three pounds this week. It is hard to say I maintained this week.

I was offended by the email. I am like that. The stupidest things set me off.

Yet, that is why I have lost 220 pounds.

Instead, my reply was:

" Your eggs are $2.99 a dozen, regular eggs are $.89 a dozen. Do the math! And my name is Tony, I do not eat subs."

If I want to be popular, I just need to update my blog more.

The comment part 3- Nine years of love

Over a year ago, I got this comment:

The Anti-Jared's Proud Wife said...

I've been reading my wonderful husband's blog for a few months now, and during that same time I've watched him come alive in a way that would make anyone smile. He's happier, healthier, has more energy than most people I know and is loving life. I love him and I am so proud of him for making incredibly smart choices every day.
To anyone who doesn't believe in the success or power of the changes he has made in his life, well, too bad. You're missing out. My husband and I are going to have a wonderfully, long healthy life together. I've said for months that I have WW to thank for that, but really, I have my husband to thank.
All our friends and family who have seen him evolve into a new man over the last 8 months are amazed. Anyone who eats dinner with him for the first time at home or at a restaurant ends up reconsidering what and how they're eating.
My best friend came to town this weekend; she hasn't seen my husband in person in over a year. She'd seen this blog and his pictures. She'd heard me brag about how proud I am. She heard me check and see if there were "snacks" she wanted me to pick up for our weekend other than the fruit, veggies and fiber-filled food that fills our cupboards. I'll speak for her and say, she was truly amazed.
It really doesn't matter whether or not you believe what I've witnessed. It only matters what my amazing husband and I know--he did this for himself and for us and for the rest of our lives.

10/12/08 10:06 PM

Nine years ago today, I met my wife.

I met her on a blind date

Which is funny, because I hate surprises

The blind date was at a bar.

Which is funny because I do not drink.

I knew the moment I met her I would spend the rest of my life with her.

Which is not that funny, but very true.

If you ask 100 people the meaning of love, you will get 100 answers.

So here is my take.

Love is not Valentine's Day.
Love is not Birthday's.
Love is not Christmas.

Those are easy. You know in advance to be sweet. You know you need to get a gift or take someone out to dinner.

To me, love is the hard day. The hard year. The times when you want to run away, yet you stand by someone's side.

It is the day you move to Buffalo because your "girlfriend" wants to be close to her family.
Love is trying to help your "fiance" lose weight while he is on his way to 420 pounds.
Love is learning together how to raise a beautiful baby boy.

My wife and I have made many sacrifices over the last nine years. We never dwell on them.

What we do is make each other better.

That is love.

I see so many people in unhappy relationships who think to themselves

"I wonder what I could have had?"

I think

"Man, I know what I could have lost!"

My wife never made a meal for me during my weight loss or maintenance.
She never worked out with me.
She has never gone to a WW meeting with me.

Yet, I could not have lost the weight without her.

For nine years she has made me a better person. She has pulled the inspiration and encouragement out of me. She saw "theantijared" when I was 420 pounds. When no one else saw it.

So today when we woke up, I looked out the window and got a little upset.

"You know, John (my neighbor) really needs to take care of his yard or I am calling the HOA!"

My wife looked out the window and with a puzzled look said:

"You are crazy. John's yard looks awesome!"

Yeah, but it does not compare to the really green grass on my side.

The comment part 2- A Prior's Passion for Perfection

A few months ago, I received this comment:

priorfatgirl's mom said...

You are right...we sure can point out what we don't love.
Thanks for the reminder
Kim

7/22/09 10:09 AM

What would you do if you woke up one day and your life changed?

What used to be left was right.

What was up now was down.

What was right was now wrong.

How would you react?

How strong would you be?

I think about Jen's passion every day.

I think about the amount of strength she has to live her life although the most special part was taken tragically.

I think about her courage.

I think about how she is strong for the people around her. For her father, for the man she loves. How she is an inspiration to her sisters and her followers.

I read her blog and admire her more and more.

She is right, no one would care if she skipped the gym. No one would care if she ate Kit Kat after Kit Kat.

I would not judge. Jen's courage is amazing. Her journey is amazing, beyond the weight loss.

Yet, she does care. The beautiful girl looking in the mirror in Minneapolis cares.

And that is important. That is inspiring. That is fantastic.

Jen, I love your blog. I think you are a strong human being. I think you are beyond inspiring.

You have helped me know there is more to life than weight loss. So much more

I am also confident that there is one person who might not comment on your blog anymore, but is so amazingly proud of the person you have become.

Just like the girl who looks in the mirror day in and day out is. Keep winning the fight of life.

The Comment Part One: Weight Loss With Blinders On

I received this comment a few days ago:

Anonymous said...
Your blog is spot on.However, you have to give the real Jared credit, he lost a bunch of weight (though didn't put on the muscle you have put on) and has kept it off for more than a decade and he has turned himself into a brand and likely makes a good income for himself and his family. Not too shabby.It seems you are also trying to create a brand. You won't "sell out" to a corporation. It looks like you are trying to create a brand based on your personality which will eventually generate some income for you and your family. Again, not too shabby.How come we haven't seen any pics (perhaps I have missed them) since 8/21? I suspect the next set of pics is going to show a very lean and ripped muscular person (not that you aren't pretty close in your 8/21 picture) so that you can say you are one of the few to not only lose 200+ lbs but create a body builder physique at the same time (naturally).I think you have a business plan (brand defined by 200+ lb weight loss while working in a restaurant not eating in one, maintained for 24 months, very muscular but not muscle-bound build, done naturally and simply though not easily, straight talker but still humble, devoted family man, and not afraid to make people angry) and as a true capitalist, I respect that.Though I respect your lifestyle change and results more -- I have made acceptable progress in the last 6 months but have 3-4 months to go to fit into my goal clothes and I only have an outline for a maintenance plan -- still need to complete the mind shift that the habits I have now are basically what I need to do forever.Thanks for taking the time to write this blog.I look forward to the day when some TV show figures this out and has you and Jared on at the same time. Though I don't think Subway would allow that.
10/28/09 1:26 PM

I have read this over 100 times. At first I did not understand why it was anonymous.

It was very complimentary.

After reading it a few times, I loved the fact that it was anonymous, because so many people think this.

In fact, at one point I thought it as well.

Yet, it is very far from the truth.

When I weighed in at 198.8 pounds at my Weight Watchers meeting, I truly thought there would be balloons and confetti coming from the ceiling.

I was the "long shot", the 400 pound guy who lost over 220 pounds and changed his life.

I thought that the CEO of Weight Watchers would come out and shake my hand, and give me a key to the Weight Watchers city of Onederland.

I thought my leader would have called my family who would all be there, and they would have offered me a leader job.

I thought different news media outlets would be there to interview me about my weight loss.

Yet, all I got was a sweet comment from 87 year old Ethel, which was:

"Woot!"

When I left the meeting, I thought the clouds would part and there would be a beautiful rainbow.

I thought "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey would be blasting.

I thought that the birds would sing, and everything would make sense.

Yet, it was raining, no music was heard, and nothing made sense.

Honestly, after losing over 200 pounds, I felt like the world owed me something. I beat all the odds. I changed my life.

When I would see a success story on the Today Show, or one in Weight Watchers Magazine, it would frustrate me.

I mean, they lost 150 pounds, I lost 221.4 pounds!

What about me? I have sent you my story. Why are you over looking me?

That anonymous comment made me realize how foolish I am. I never got it. I never understood.

People who say that "Weight loss is a marathon not a race" do not understand weight loss.

Weight loss is neither.

You train for a marathon. You run a race. Then you cross the line, slow down and throw your hands in the air.

"Yes! I did it."

There is no finish line for weight loss. Once you hit your goal the journey has just begun. Once you hit the finish line, you realize you crossed the starting point.

I have a good job. I have a great family. I can do things now that I could never do. I do not want to be a full time weight loss blogger.

I just want to be normal.Something that I deserve.

I also love writing on this blog. I do believe that no one will be able to tell my story better than I would.

So whoever wrote that comment, I do say thank you.

You have sparked a new flame inside of me.

And you will learn a lot about me in the next few posts. What scares me, what inspires me, and why I will succeed.