WE, THE OVERWEIGHT, THANK YOU, THE THOUGHTLESS

I recently ran into an old friend, who, as always greeted me with a smirk and a little bitty dagger.

“Hey, you’re looking bigger [pause] and better than ever,” he said with a glance at my midsection. And a chuckle.

“Thanks,” I thought. “I didn’t realize I’d gained weight since I last saw you.”

Newsflash to all you “friends” with washboard stomachs: We, the overweight, already know we’re too heavy. We’re not happy that we need to lose 50, 60, 100 pounds. We don’t need you to remind us.

This may shock you, but I don’t enjoy being, yes, I’ll say the ugly word, obese. In fact, I hate it.

I’m trying to limit my calories and work out more often. So far, I’ve had limited success. Working a stressful, sit-down job may be working against me, but I will not make excuses. All I can do is try… and hope I don’t run into too many “friends” offering words of encouragement like, “Gee, your wife must be a good cook… Wow, you’ve really put on weight,” or my favorite, “Dude, you’re killing yourself eating that.”

Again, thanks for bringing me face-to-face with myself. I don’t have mirrors in my house.

The only thing worse than being overweight is having someone tell you there should be a “Wide Load” sign attached to your posterior.

So we, the overweight, go through life giving our fabulously fit friends the benefit of the doubt. Surely, they don’t mean to make us feel bad… do they?

Comments from strangers, now those are a little harder to swallow. I canceled my membership at one gym because I kept getting lectured by two old guys who obviously were in love with their trim bodies.

One guy never failed to greet me with, “I’ll tell you how to get rid of that spare tire. Push yourself away from the table.” At other times, his admonition was, “Stay away from the beer.” Thanks, I’ll cut back from the four beers I have each year to two. Okay, one.

I always felt relief each time I got in and out of the locker room without seeing Mr. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company… or his evil twin, Mr. I Used To Be Fat Like You.

Chris Powell, the subject of our cover story, experienced his share of snide remarks before he changed his lifestyle and his body. Every overweight person has.

We’re proud to present our exclusive interview with Chris. He understands that truly caring about people and treating them with respect is essential for success in the war against fat.

For all of you who haven’t figured out how to best help your overweight “friends,” I suggest you carefully read and ponder Chris Powell’s words.

Meanwhile, I’ll keep trying to lose weight — not because I want your approval, but because I want to be healthy and happy.

You see, this may come as a surprise to you, but I don’t really want to be like you. Sure, I’d like to have your lean, ripped body… but you can keep your tongue.

Gary Corsair Executive Editor gary@akersmediagroup.com

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