Who is “Fatboy?”

Well, I’m not fat yet, but with recent strides getting there, I’ve decided to make it one of my goals in turning my health around. A heavy body is better able to fight off infections and maintain a healthy body image that leads to wanting to take better care of oneself.

A little history

Back in 1998, I hit my all-time heaviest weight: 118lbs. I was a college sophomore and apartment-sitting for a friend who was overseas, eating 2-3 Stouffer’s dinners per night, and watching Blockbuster movies. I have no idea how many calories I was eating, but I was spending all of my money on gas, food, and movies, so I’d say I was really pounding the food.

After that, life got a lot more stressful with career and health issues. I went on and off IVs every year until I was on IVs every 6 months. In 2006, when I proposed and was planning on getting married, I was on IVs 4 times by October and had hit an all-time adult low weight of 92lbs. I think it was 92, since I last weighed myself at 95 and was too depressed to weigh myself again before our wedding. I could overlap my thumbs wrapping my hands around the biggest part of my thighs. It was pitiful.

At the end of our honeymoon week, I was 105lbs, but there seemed to be a wall around 110-111lbs for me. For the next 2 years, I could hit 115 or 118lbs for a day and then lose it again and be back to 110. The weight gain always seemed to be associated with going on a round of Prednisone, so it was really false weight.

And then there’s now

We’ve made some changes to my diet and medications recently that seem to be boosting my weight to new heights.

• First off, is getting on a steady hormone replacement program. As a CF male, studies have just recently started showing a severe lack in testosterone, which is a major contributor to being able to maintain weight. I’ve been prescribed for years, but it’s just in the last couple of months that I’ve been adhering to every injection (self-injection, ouch!) and have energy, appetite, and a better mental outlook. We also started a new pancreatic enzyme 2 weeks ago that is doing wonders (post coming up very soon).
• The next step was finding an affordable and palatable way to increase my caloric intake in a healthy way. Back in October, clinic diagnosed me as somewhat glucose intolerant (or something like that indicating pre-diabetes). I stopped with soft drinks entirely while at home and only partake at restaurants or at family gatherings. There went 1,000+ calories per day that I had to make up. I’ll detail my diet as the major feature of this site.
• The last step is going to be exercise. We’ve got a Wii Fit Plus, I’ve got a new bicycle, and we have a fitness center here. I’m doing the 5k Great Strides walk in May, so I want to be sure that’s no big deal at all. My goal for next year is to be able to run in Tampa’s Gasparilla 5k run.

That’s about it for now. I have work to do. The life of an entrepreneur is never dull. Stay tuned for frequent updates on my meals, recipes, tips for adding calories, and gaining weight with a busy lifestyle.

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