I’ll be honest: Michael Schechter, even the very inspiring 138-pounds-lighter version of Michael Schechter, did not look to me like a man who could run two laps around Green Lake without stopping.
I told him this on the cold afternoon of January 10, as we were in the second lap of our nonstop six-mile jog around the lake, and he didn’t flinch. There is no one less attached to how Schechter currently looks than Schechter. He is focused on what’s coming: a day when he’s shed so much of his excess weight that you’d never suspect he had 396 pounds packed onto his 5-feet-10 frame just over a year ago.
It’s not really possible to take good notes while jogging, and Schechter is a busy downtown lawyer who couldn’t easily be reached after our run, so I’m going to paraphrase our conversation from memory. What he told me that day instead of flinching was that, yeah, he’s still got a lot of fat bouncing around on him as he runs, and yeah, he hates it. Worse, it’s hard on his back. But the thing is, after a year of doing long runs and bike rides, including a half-marathon and a 70-mile fundraising ride for Livestrong—the organization Lance Armstrong created to help support people with cancer—Schechter’s “motor,” by which he means his aerobic conditioning, is way ahead of the rest of him.
I might be surprised by his motor’s abilities, especially considering the weight he’s still pulling around—258 pounds—but he’s not.
What’s more, this motor is way ahead of the motors possessed by most people who weigh 258 pounds and have a body mass index of 37.2, as Schechter currently does. That index score puts Schechter, 33, solidly in the “obese” category, even though he’s lost, as he points out, the equivalent of a whole teenager in the last year.
What’s his secret? Are Oprah and acai berries the catalyst for this rapidly shrinking man and his amazingly determined, unself-conscious attitude?
No.
Three things are behind his metamorphosis: a picture, a surgery, and an outlook that, if he could bottle and sell it, would rake in more than Oprah and acai berries combined.
The picture—which in an e-mail before our run he called “the fattest pic ever,” and on his Facebook page leads off a photo album entitled “Transformation: The Defatting of One Michael S. Schechter”—is above. It was taken at a Huskies game in October 2008 when Schechter weighed 396 pounds.
Before Schechter saw this photo, he honestly didn’t realize he’d gained so much weight. He has always been a big guy. He was raised in a Jewish family in a heavily Italian neighborhood in the Bronx, which, he says, involved a lot of food. He played football in high school and was often teased by his coach about needing to practice his “push-aways.” That is, pushing away from the dinner table. But this was just motivating locker-room shit talk to Schechter, and he moved onward through life without a feeling that his size was any sort of serious liability. He went to law school, married a woman who never hassled him about his weight, got a job at the fancy Seattle firm Foster Pepper, and just never paid much attention to how large he was becoming.
He had love, he had money, he had a job, and he had confidence in himself. Plus, as he explained after I asked him, incredulously, whether he really, truly didn’t notice his ballooning figure: “I’m a guy.”
What Schechter meant is that the social consequences for heavy men are much lighter than the social consequences for heavy women, which is true in many ways. But still, this doesn’t fully explain it. Plenty of guys pay attention to their figures. Plenty of men have body issues that would rival those of the most body-conscious ladies. I told Schechter that in the guy circles I move in—circles that include a lot of gay guys—most men are incapable of letting 10 pounds pile on without notice, much less more than 100. He laughed. He couldn’t explain it, he said. For whatever reason, he just really, truly didn’t notice what was going on with him.
True, he knew that he was having to request the seat-belt extender when he went on an airplane. Yes, he realized he was avoiding certain “cozy” restaurants because he wouldn’t be able to fit into the booth or between close tables. Yes, these things caused him some shame. But for some reason, he just didn’t get it—didn’t have a body image that accurately perceived his body, as he put it—until he saw that photo.
This is not the body-image problem most people have. But it was his. And as soon as he overcame it, he sprang into action.
“I‘m a big believer in the assumption of risk,” Schechter told me as we ran. That’s a legal term that means basically what you’d guess: No one is responsible for your risky choices and your likely-to-harm-
yourself behaviors except you.
So, without a lot of attention-demanding sentiment, and without any self-pity at all, Schechter went about fixing the consequences of his own risky behavior. He signed up for Lap-Band surgery (laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery), which, roughly speaking, involves a rubber-band-like thing being placed around the top of one’s stomach with an inflatable saline pouch tucked under it so that the now-cinched stomach can be cinched further or made more expansive as events require.
This significantly curbed his appetite, which had grown tremendous along with his girth, but it wasn’t enough on its own. He also had to start exercising.
Hence the running and biking. The first time the 396-pound version of Schechter exercised, he felt destroyed. It made him understand, he told me, how hard it is for inactive, overweight people to become active again. He felt like he’d been run over by a truck, or dropped from a significant height. From football, he knew that this was actually good, the pain of progress. But if he hadn’t had that memory of past conditioning efforts to translate what his overweight body was telling him, he probably would have heard it telling him something different: Stop. Now. Please. Or you’re going to die.
He carved out more and more time for jogging and biking and swimming. It took him away from watching football, but that was fine, because while watching football he just tended to eat, anyway. He became a member of “Team Fatty,” run by the man behind
FatCyclist.com, Elden Nelson. Nelson has long biked to stay healthy, and after his wife was diagnosed with cancer he started using cycling to raise money for cancer research and to support those living with cancer.
You obviously have to be willing to call yourself fat to be a member of Team Fatty, and clearly, Schechter is more than willing to call himself that. He also is able to keep his effort at personal improvement in perspective. “Nothing compared to fighting cancer,” is how, in a recent e-mail to friends, he described the endurance challenges he’s now setting for himself.
“The past year has been one of amazing personal change for me, and I could not have done it without your support and encouragement,” Schechter continued in the e-mail.
This wasn’t a ploy for compliments or
kudos.
That’s not Schechter’s style. He fights his fat on his own, with his own powerful engine and quiet motivations. This was a pitch for pledges.
The 70-mile Livestrong ride Schechter did in 2009, he wrote, “gave me the purpose and goal I needed to stretch out of my comfort zone and radically change my life.” This year, he’s going to take on a 100-mile Livestrong biking challenge in Seattle on June 20, a half-marathon benefiting Team Livestrong one week later, and a half-Ironman race (that’s biking, running, and swimming) later in the year.
“Livestrong and the Lance Armstrong Foundation are making a difference in the fight against cancer, and that’s why I have joined them again this year as a member of Team Fatty,” Schechter wrote in the pitch. “My goal is not just to participate in the Livestrong Challenge, but to raise $11,000 (yes, that is eleven!) to help further LivestrongLivestrong’s mission of inspiring and empowering people affected by cancer. To reach this goal, I need your help.”
If it’s not clear already, let it be clear now: Schechter does not need your help slimming his body. He doesn’t want your pity. He doesn’t need your congratulations. He won’t eat your acai berries or read your O magazine. He wants your money. He wants it so he can help people with cancer. That’s the way he’s found to motivate himself to keep on exercising, creating a good by-product for others out of the type of project that, for most people, involves mainly focusing on the good by-products they’re creating for themselves.
Schechter paid $412.88 for this article through The Stranger‘s charity auction, Strangercrombie—$412.88 that went directly to local charities helping the homeless, the elderly, and those without health insurance—so that he could publicize his fundraising effort and encourage people to give to Livestrong via him and Team Fatty.
So if you’re inspired by his weight loss, great. So am I. So is everyone who knows him. Now take that inspiration and channel it into helping the people who actually inspire Schechter: those living with cancer.
To donate to Livestrong through Michael Schechter’s fundraising page, go to: http://seattle2010.livestrong.org/kamala
.
Fuck. You get my money, sir. (Link fix, please.)
And good job, Eli.
Link fixed!
@1: Thanks, and link should be fixed shortly.
What an amazing story!!! Here is a guy who is doing it all on his own, not just
to help himself, but to help others!! Amazing!!! You got my donation and my kudos!! What an inspiration to all of us!
The lapband surgery can be a life saver. But it’s not cheap and many (most?) insurance won’t cover it.
That takes nothing away from this gentleman’s accomplishments, which are amazing. And turning said accomplishments into a fundraising opportunity is heroic.
Excessive weight is not an issue for a lot of guys cause women don’t tell them to their face why they won’t give them the time of day. Congrats to Schecter. What a great article.
What a great article. I’ve known Schecter since high school and he truly is an inspiration using helping others as his drive to help himself!
Nice job, wish I had money to give, but I don’t.
I’m glad it worked for him but the Lap Band seems like an unnecessary risk to me. The way I got my appetite under control in order to lose weight (seems like a lot of us former fatties are doing that lately) was just gradually bringing down the amount I ate every day. But then again I have a strong aversion to elective surgery since I had some childhood surgeries that were not fun at all.
The one thing in the article I’d disagree with is that the social ramifications for straight guys being overweight are no big deal. This may be true when you’re in your early 20s, but by the time you’re in your 30s, if you’re not already married, it can be very hard to find dates if you’re fat. Of course it’s just as bad if not worse for women, but people play it off like thin women date fat guys all the time, and it’s just not the case.
Nice job. Really, despite what many people say, it comes down to physics, and the law of conservation of energy. If you want to lose weight, eat less and exercise more.
But thank you for bringing up the issue about pain. Losing weight is hard work, no doubt about it, and those people who have done hard physical work in the past (football, cross country, etc.) are more likely to carry it off. I have a loved one who needs to lose weight, big time. Her mobility is going, her back is going, her quality of life is going, but she just can’t do the physical work it takes. She’s never exercised in her life, and when I suggest something easy like water aerobics, she says “It’s too hard.” Well, damn, but I thought being stuck in a single chair all day was kind of hard too.
Kudos all around!
Interesting.
To take notes while jogging get one of those iPods with V/R feature and set it on record. If it’s quiet you can hear both people, if noisy you’ll have to encapsulate what the interviewee said in your own words.
@ 5,
More insurance companies may be covering it in future because it’s cheaper than the multiple health issues that go along with prolonged obesity.
@ 6,
Don’t forget what Eli Sanders said: There’s a stigma against being a fat woman or liking fat women. Not as much for liking fat men. Nobody thinks a woman who says, “I like a big man” is a freak or a pervert. Whereas a man who says, “I like a fat chick” is usually seen as a weirdo.
Well done, sir!
Lapband is great, I lost 130 pounds using it. It’s a tool that helps you control how much you eat. It doesn’t do all the work, but it helps. More and more insurance companies are paying for it and compared to other weight lost surgeries, it is by far the least invasive.
During the Spring Quarter, 2008, Michael co-taught a planning law course for the Masters in Urban Planning students, of which I am one. Not only was Michael an excellent instructor, but throughout the nearly three-month long course, I was sure I was imagining things when his suits stopped fitting his frame. The man appeared to be shrinking. While dutifully failing to pay attention to the differences among exactions and user fees, I kept thinking to myself: “Does this man realize he’s losing weight?” It’s obvious now, he knew. Congrats on all your hard work, Mister Schechter. A much mightier feat than me passing your class.
don’t get me wrong- I whole heartetly endorse this gentleman’s call for money towards cancer research. That said…
let’s be honest- the only people who don’t get comments from the people around them when they gain 100+ pounds are people with money. a lot of money… people like lawyers. So if you’re reading this, just know that the people who allowed you to do this to yourself weren’t hanging out with you for your personality and looks- Much like the fact that Eli Sanders would never have wrote a story about you if you hadn’t paid for it. (Again, not that it’s not a worthy story in it’s own right!) So I’d suggest you keep that in mind when re-evaluating friendships in your new body. Pick friends who like you for your personality, not your money. Because those people will care enough about you to worry about your health, not whether their meal ticket is going to be here tomorrow.
unless I have you pegged wrong and you’re a douchebag… then you deserved the friends you had.
@15, if you knew Mike Schecter, you would know people are not friends with him for his money. I was friends with him in high school…he did not have any money then. He is a fun guy to be around and a great person. That said, I haven’t seen him in years, but when you’re around someone who’s a lot of fun and even though they may be heavy still does all the fun stuff…sometimes you just don’t notice or if you do, you don’t say it because you don’t want to hurt your friend’s feelings.
Yes, he paid for this article, but the money he paid was given to charity, a different charity than he’s raising money for.
I say shame on you for thinking people can only be friends with someone who is fat because they have money.
Thank you for this interesting article.
After struggling with obesity since childhood, I had bypass surgery 7 years ago and lost 160 pounds.
It always amuses me when people suggest the answer to combat morbid obesity to to simply stop eating and exercise more. The factors leading to obesity are more often extremely complex.
Equally as interesting are some of the above comments that suggest that Fat Prejudice is alive and well. Wonderful.
Mike, congratulations on your accomplishment. Don’t let the loose skin freak you out. I can honestly say the hardest part is not losing the weight but maintaining the loss. Have a plan, brother.
Congrats and when I can afford to give, I will. Glad to see someone focusing their get-in-shape efforts be about helping others.
And as far as fat prejudice, it definitely is alive and well – gaining weight after an accident that left me immobile for months has really opened my eyes. I used to assume fat people were all just lazy and should eat less. The truth is, if you can’t move well, dieting is not super easy or effective.
I didn’t marry Mike for his money (because he didn’t have any at the time, and still has student loan debt nearly equal to the mortgage on our 550 sf apartment)
I married him because he’s hilarious, intelligent, and the best sex I ever had.
Apologies to my family if they’re reading this.
I don’t know about money but I’m only friends with him cause he likes hockey ;-).
Great Article!
@17: It always amuses me when people suggest the answer to combat morbid obesity to to simply stop eating and exercise more. The factors leading to obesity are more often extremely complex.
Umm — until the laws of physics are repealed, that _is_ the way to lose weight. Nothing “simple” about doing it, but it is simple in concept.
Are family and friends that push food on you “simple”? Are health conditions that make it hard to exercise “simple”? Are psychological conditions that make the problem worse (i.e., depression) “simple”?
No. But that doesn’t make the underlying reality any less simple.
Does that make me a fatty hater? No, just a realist.
I’m only friends with Mike because he has money. Otherwise he is kind of lame. ;-).
As someone who’s lost more than 100 lbs, it IS as simple as changing your diet and exercising. Getting the surgery is just weak. Sorry, but it’s true.
Good story… I am sure that with all his good qualities he will do many great things, including raising the money for cancer research.
It is true that losing weight by diet and exercise is a simple concept, but anything but simple to actually do and keep the weight off!
I am successfully keeping 15 pounds off but it takes some daily work: working out, planning my foods, avoiding sugars… it takes will power and focus, and constant re-commitment.
Check out “Bootcamp Buddies” on Health Discovery for great forums that offer support to not just get it off, but keep the pounds off.
Good Job Man! I’m 30, weigh in the 250’s, and I was diagnosed with brain cancer a year ago. So it’s great to see you being so inspired to help yourself and the cancer survivors out there. Keep up the good work and I’ll see you at the Livestrong century in June!
There is no “weak” way to lose weight. There is effective and less effective. I personally lost weight fairly fast and then gained it back. It is the classic problem of losing weight too fast with too much motivations. This makes your body think you are starving and your metabolism will have the last laugh.
Losing weight with surgery is fine as long as you are not starving yourself or engaging in obsessive behaviors to fuel your weight loss. No diets or surgery work for long term lasting weight loss, only lifestyle changes can.
the worst fat prejudice is that carried out by doctors!!!
http://fathealth.wordpress.com/
@21 you can be a realist all you want, but the factors for weight loss and weight control are complex like brain chemistry.
Weight isn’t controllable until the user is able to get their body/mind to cooperate with their aspirations. If it were easy, very few would choose to be fat.
I lost 70lbs at age 20 nearly 10 years ago. It’s a constant battle to keep it off. It has, for me, never gotten easier.
So good luck, all y’all.
“Its a simple concept, duh. Just eat less and exercise more!”. I’m paraphrasing, but people who say things like that are ‘simple’. And not simple like how levers work, but simple like George W Bush.
Simple concepts are like flying. Leo the Vinci came up with that concept, but it still took millions of man hours to get it right.
Stupid bitches.
And the laws of physics aren’t simple either.
“Weak”? Seriously? Attacking the weak is what marks out the assholes among us. Who cares if it’s “weak”? Who are you, Charles Atlas? Life is not a contest to prove who’s the baddest badass of all. This fellow Mike has accomplished a terrific thing; there’s nothing remotely weak about it, and if there was, it would diminish his accomplishment not at all.
To people who say that having weight loss surgery is weak, I say “fuck off.” If you were in a burning building you would take the fastest and quickest way out. The truth is, weight loss surgery isn’t easy and it does takes work to be successful at it. It’s merely a tool to help control the volume of food a person can eat. Don’t fault anyone for losing weight and then having enough energy to exercise!
Fat Man Starving – good job losing 100 lbs. Very bad job for clinging to and passing around the lame and unproven moral judgments about F.A.T. people.
Have you checked out the kinds of restrictions a lap-band patient has to follow post-surgery? For the REST OF HIS LIFE??
Keep it to yourself. You are a very bad Fat Man Starving. You are ignorant about obesity if you think the surgery is a sign of weakness. Guess what? That little lap band doesn’t make your decisions for you, it is not a magic exercise machine, and it won’t stop you from eating a few pints of Ben and Jerry’s. . . Sorry. You are full of shit. Shut up and go away.
When brain chemistry gets involved, the laws of physics, which are not what one could call “simple,” get a run for their money.
28/yqduf: Weight isn’t controllable until the user is able to get their body/mind to cooperate with their aspirations. If it were easy, very few would choose to be fat.
I think very few people claim it’s easy to lose weight. It’s hard, damn hard, to do many things in life we know we have to do, or want to do.
What people do say is that the way a person loses weight is simple. Not simple as in easy to accomplish but simple as in basic, or readily understood. For example, the way to reach the top of a mountain via a trail is simple: you keep putting one foot in front of the other until you get there. But does that simplicity mean it’s easy? No. Of course not.
The simple, but not easy, way to lose weight is: burn more calories than you take in.
From the Mayo Clinic’s website:
I still marvel at how people have their one personal experience and decide this is a law of nature.
I honestly don’t get the whole “burn more calories than you take in” thing. Don’t we all know the bean pole guy who can eat a zillion calories a day? Or, from personal experience, when I was in college I ate absolutely anything I wanted from the dining halls (including multiple desserts every day), exercised fairly moderately, and was super skinny. As I’ve gotten a bit older, that’s simply not true anymore…although I’m still a healthy weight, I have to work a LOT harder to keep it that way!
Now, this is obviously not to say that it’s HEALTHY to eat a crap diet even if you stay skinny. And exercise is beneficial even if you don’t NEED it to keep the pounds off. But it’s certainly not the case that if you give six people the same diet and the same exercise plan (and they all follow it), they will all end up the same weight or the same BMI. Metabolism (either from age or genetics or what have you) clearly DOES make a difference, and anyone who doesn’t see that might need to take a look around them at the various eating/exercise patterns of the folks they know!
So, let me get this straight. Everyone’s hating on “Fat Man Starving” – who lost more than 100 pounds ONLY through diet and exercise – for saying that getting Lap Band surgery is “weak.” This, while simultaneously heaping praise on Mike for changing his diet and exercise habits…um…isn’t it kind of undenyable that losing that anount of weight through only diet and exercise IS more difficult, and therefore, less “weak” than getting surgery? Everyone on this board (ahem, Luisita, PhD)is jumping on this guy’s back about not being supportive, and then insulting him for stating his opinion, which – yes, Gloria – is based on his own personal experience (isn’t that true for EVERYONE?). And, it IS a law of nature that the only sure way to lose weight is by burning more calories than are consumed – whether it’s via surgically implanted devices that physically prevent the ingestion of large amounts of food or will power. The hypocrisy of this discussion reminds me why I don’t normally waste my time here.
@All of you whiny bitches.
I have struggled with losing weight my entire life. Tried every fad diet, even some of the most unhealthy shit you can imagine. And, over the years and after, finally, successfully losing some of the weight, I have learned quite a bit about nutrition and exercise, and it is a very simple formula: If you eat like shit and don’t move around daily, you will gain weight. If you eat well, exercise, make an effort each day, no matter how small it is, you will lose weight. Calories in; calories out. It’s math, motherfuckers. Even fat people can do math.
I’m not saying it isn’t hard to lose weight, but the formula IS easy. You just have to do it. Sure, not all fat people are lazy, but, as a fat person, I know there are a million and one excuses why we can’t do it.
So call me ignorant or tell me I’m full of shit, sure. I’ve been wagging the war of being fat and will continue to battle obesity for the rest of my life, whether I’m the 350 or so I started at, or the 200 I got down to, or the 240 I’m at now.
Now shut the fuck up, save your energy whining and put it towards something useful, like exercising.
@36 – yes, your metabolism determines how many calories your body burns, either in a state of rest or various levels of activity. Losing or gianing weight still comes down to calories burned vs. calories consumed.
@37: Uh, I didn’t say anything about an *opinion* being based on personal experience. Go nuts if you want to state your opinion … as an opinion. But don’t take that same opinion OR personal experience and state it as a fact, as a law applicable to everyone. That’s shit thinking and shit science.
I just don’t get why dieters/exercisers get so infuriated by people who claim that doesn’t work for them. You already have moral high ground (and you clearly know it); why do you have to go around and make sure everyone knows they’re not as hard-working and dedicated as you are? Nobody gives a fuck.
“Calories in; calories out. It’s math, motherfuckers.”
Actually, it’s physics. Specifically, thermodynamics.
If there was a magic pill that caused me to lose weight with no side effects, I’d take it in a heart beat.
I’m not sure how it’s “complicated” to eat healthy meals and do a moderate amount of exercise. It’s not immediately life-changing like a surgical treatment and it’s certainly difficult if you’re already a planet, but a healthy lifestyle isn’t rocket science.
@ 41: HA!
Now, can we get back to the point of the article? Regardless of how he initially lost the weight, he is maintaining a healthy lifestyle by being active WHILE fighting cancer.
And that is TOTALLY AWESOME!
People who are merely physically lazy and careless about eating sweets, are like myself, 20-50lbs overweight. I could exercise more or cut down on sweets and drop the pounds. If I really tried, lying down all the time and eating nothing but cake and potato chips all day, I still couldn’t break 100lbs over ideal. My body would shut down first.
Once people get 100-150+ lbs overweight, something else besides laziness and desserts is at work. Metabolism, hormones, and genes cause retention of calories or tolerance for consumption beyond normal human physical capabilities. Compassion, counseling and medical treatment are necessary to prevent more serious health problems. For some people that may include surgery.
Fat Man Starving is one personal issue(probably minor) from falling off his regimen. Assholes like him always do. See the cold turkey former addicts and alcoholics who have to dump on those who went to rehab or AA.
When cold turkey does work for an individual, they usually have the mental balance to just be grateful for their own success and refrain from judging others’ methods.
Weight loss experts, I NEED YOUR HELP!! I’m the elder sister of a developmentally disabled adult (36) who is at least 200+ lbs overweight. Given his relatively small stature, we’re talking about a dangerous level of obesity. My question is this: does anyone have any recommendations for programs, procedures, etc. for those with cognitive disabilities? Since his impairment (a mild form of Down’s) is related to both motor and impulse control the usual advise of “eat less and exercise more” doesn’t work. His impairment is sufficiently mild that he would be discomforted by placement in a program with very disabled individuals. His doctors have warned us that a stroke or heart attack are not unheard of in his age group and, obviously, further impairment would prevent him from even enjoying the limited amount of independence he now has. Any help would be very very welcome.
@47 You should check out OutdoorsForAll.org – they are involved in a number of different activities (biking, hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, etc) and they cater to all levels of ability (including zero experience). The volunteers and staff have a lot of experienced with a broad spectrum of cognitive and physical abilities.
@39 – So, I guess that’s my point, that’s it’s actually not very simple. It may still technically be calories in, calories out, but the calories out side of the equation is immensely complex and will vary greatly from person to person as metabolism varies. So telling people it’s as simple as “exercise x minutes a day” and you will lose weight simply doesn’t have the same effect on everyone! For some people, that may be true. For other people, the situation is not so easy.
@45 & 46: The way your body responds to your diet and exercise regime MUST be true for every other person on the planet, right? It would be CRAZY to think otherwise. Also, you must personally know “Fat Man Starving” to have such insight into his “mental balance”…or, you’re just talking out of your ass.
@47, Is there any way you could start simply by supporting your brother to give up all soda, diet soda, and juice, and start walking an hour a day? If he gets into those changes, he might be more receptive to voluntarily making other food modifications.
@49 — While the precise formula is different for each person, the overall concept remains true. Basically, fat is tissue made from extra calories the body didn’t use for existing.
It would be easier for me to believe people who say they try and try but the scale doesn’t move even after they exercise and reduce their intake, if they had some real information rather than just opinion.
Show me the data: accurate food intake diary, exercise schedule from both before and after the claim. Most people can’t be bothered to be accurate about these kind of things and play games — intentionally or not– with themselves.
@34 is right: Simple is not the same as easy.
@47: Your brother might be a perfect candidate for surgery. I don’t say that lightly.
@47: perhaps he could attend beginner’s level exercise classes with a friend at a local gym. Would probably be easier to do with a friend that would continue to encourage him and model the activity if he didn’t see it the first time. Aquatic exercise might also be a good fit if he likes the water. I would see if your insurance will cover some sort of wellness program at a gym or maybe even some PT sessions where he could get 1:1 instruction. If you do healthy activities as a family (eating and exercising) that might make it an easier adjustment too. I know that there are exercise videos for people with Prader-Willi Syndrome, but I think most of these are targeted at children/teens, don’t know if there are any for adults. Don’t be afraid to try on some other sites’ boards- Good Luck!
What an Amazing story! Lapband is not the easy way out, its just a tool to help you get to your goal. It takes guts to have a surgery and allow others to help you..
Good job!
@47: Weight loss is mostly a matter of diet rather than exercise (though exercise is helpful and has other fantastic health benefits). Perhaps you can find a nutritionist who would have the necessary skills and experiences to work with your brother? Also, is there a way someone can help him with his grocery shopping? It’s been my experience that just keeping unhealthy food out of the house makes a huge difference. Good luck, and it’s good to know your brother has a caring sister looking out for him.
@55: I agree. I always thought surgery was the harder way out, given the pain involved, the possible complications, the lifetime of restriction of food involved and the consequences for poor post-operative choices.
I also confuse having this kind of strong muscle how he lost any way take vigra for more power..lol
Shit, is that I guy I see in the morning at
Green Lake, like today? I think this guy
runs the outer ring, clockwise.
You see the dedicated regulars, especially in the winter rain. We usually do not acknowledge each other; we do not need to b/c we know why we are
there.
Keep on going.
I just wanted to say Eli – Thanks for the article! Reading about Michael has prompted me to take my weight loss seriously…
Schechter you fat fuck! You’ve been holding out on me! First I find out that you’ve got money. And, then, that you’re good in bed?! And I thought we were friends….
Go Lance! Go Mike! Go Dawgs!
Mike is a friggin Stud. Yes he got lapband surgery and from what I have read that helps to lose weight. However this man works his ass off to continue to lose weight. My First experience was with Mike at the Crater Lake Century (which I run each year). It was 3 o’clock in the afternoon and the ride was going very well. In fact I thought for once we were going to get done early….then I hear we have one rider way at the back by himself, walking his Mtn Bike up the hills. I go back to see if the rider needs help and I see Mike… Truly a fat guy on a mtn bike…. I think to myself this guy is f#@king crazy, did he seriously think he could do a 100 mile bike ride (with friggin huge ass hills) as fat as he is. I am a little anoyed because I was friggin beat from putting the ride together and had been up since 2:00 A.M. putting signs out… (I wanted to go home). I asked him if he wanted to hop in my truck and get a ride up to the top of the hill. Mike said, absolutely not he was fine. Now I was annoyed even more… I then fired back… I have to pick you up at 6:00 P.M. no matter what. He fired back… I WILL be finished before then. As the day went on, I absolutely became less frustrated and IMPRESSED with this man’s determination to finish this ride. He walked most hills, but never stopped and finished the ride before 6:00 P.M. We have been friends ever since. I am really impressed with how hard Mike works and his sense of humor is awesome. If everyone was as dedicated to exercise as Mike I doubt there would be very many obese people in this world. With that said I also realize there are many…many.. reason why people can’t be as dedicated as Mike. From what I can see Mike has changed his life and his priorities to get to where he is today.
With that said, Mike you had better be at the Crater Lake Century this year and if you walk one fucking hill or are anywhere near the last person on the road. I am going to beat your ass and not let you eat the BBQ or Ice Cream after the ride… LOL.
p.s. I like Mike for his money AND the SEX is really good!!!
I’ve stayed out of the fray so far, but Bill has fighting words! I did not walk most hills. I walked part of the two steepest hills on the backside of the Crater. Maybe two-three miles total. Other than that Bill is the man! Crater Lake Century is the bike ride in America!
Why are people so mean, and such know-it-alls? Congratulations to Michael for improving the quality of his life, and on top of that doing it in a way that benefits others. Doing a half ironman shows that this is not a person looking for the easy way to live his life!