10 Things I Don’t Miss About Being Super Obese

This blog post is not pretty. In fact, it’s pretty blunt. As a disclaimer, you may not want to continue reading if you can’t handle the truth. I’m writing this primarily for me – to remember - because “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” But I’m also writing it for anyone out there right now, reading this, who may be struggling with super obesity, so you can know that you CAN do it. You CAN overcome super obesity and live the life you deserve!

So without further ado, here they are: The 10 Things I Don’t Miss About Being Super Obese:

Before "Life Guy Brian", at 420 lbs

1. Skin tags on my neck and underarms 
2. Having a successful job interview on the phone turn into a nightmare when interviewed face-to-face 
3. Not being able to walk more than a quarter mile without having to sit down 
4. Being afraid to fly because I barely fit, needed a seat belt extension and was concerned I was squishing other passengers
5. Having to use baby wipes instead of toilet paper 
6. Having to use special tools and maneuvers in the shower to ensure my cleanliness 
7. Not being able to pick things up off the floor and feeling compelled to ask people to get things for me because the effort to do even little tasks was taxing 
8. Spending most of my spending money on cheap, fatty foods and sugary beverages 
9. Having to shop for clothes in specialty stores; Not being able to shop for bargains or at thrift stores 
10. Being sought after by “chubby chasers” instead of being pursued by someone who loves me for me

I could go on, but this is all the remembering I can handle right now. It’s tough looking back! But what’s tougher is thinking about all the people out there right now still in it, facing the same struggles I once did. I want to reach out to each and every one of you, give you a big hug and tell you that it can get better. You can lose weight and start living a healthy life.

In the words of the incredible, inspirational Tony Robbins, “It’s your decisions, not the conditions of your life that determine your destiny.” Think of it this way: The list above is nothing but conditions. But it was my decisions – to begin eating clean and getting progressively intensive regular exercise – that ultimately changed my life and led me to lose 165 pounds.

If that sounds simplistic, it’s because it really is that simple.

Contact me in the comment section below if you'd like to talk, or follow me, Life Guy Brian, on Twitter @MyFitLife2Day for daily motivation and inspiration. I look forward to hearing from you!

Schooled on speed hiking via Millet France's experience

Before tonight, I'd never heard of the French outdoor outfitter Millet. With the tagline, Mountain by Experience, this company is no joke. I wouldn't even have heard of it if I weren't searching for information on "speed hiking" (which I wasn't even sure was a thing before Googling it). I'm glad that I did.

So, in fact speed hiking is a thing, and it's demonstrated beautifully in this video produced as a marketing piece for @Millet_France:



You may have figured from the trail descriptions and pictures I post on HikeyHikey - or through my tweets @MyFitLife2Day - that I'm very into hiking. But only recently did I consider trying to hike to reach the summit with the kind of speed demonstrated in the Millet France video.

So far I've hiked several times to elevations above 10,000 ft (once to above 11,000 ft), with hikes ranging from the Albuquerque's La Luz Trail  - 10 miles and 3,775 ft (1,151 m) elevation gain from the lower to upper tram terminals - to the Sandia's South Summit - 12 miles out-and-back with a near 10,000 ft foot summit and 3,400 ft (1,036 m) of elevation gain. There is only so much time in the day, and if I want to be able to do a 15 mile day hike to an amazing peak, speed hiking just may be the ticket!

It's funny how the universe works. I only researched speed hiking because I was recently called "speedy" by some guys I went hiking with here in Palm Springs. We took the South Lykken Trail from Ramon to the Skyline Trail (a.k.a. Cactus-to- Clouds) junction. I did book it, I suppose, but I took frequent breaks. My plan now is to do some further research on conditioning for speed hiking and begin practicing.

Perhaps Millet France can help outfit me - sponsor my blogs. I'm taking MyFitLife2Day, Man of Merit, HikeyHikey, my YouTube channel and my HubPages on the road next year, and one of my spots will be Chamonix and the Mont Blanc trek. Conditioning for the trip would be a perfect tie-in for their brand and my blogs.

In any case, I'm going to begin training soon. There's a great trail near my house where I'm going to time myself and begin setting goals to increase my speed. I will definitely learn to fuel myself differently, but hydration will probably remain about the same. We'll see, and I'll be sure to report back!