(His name has been changed for identity protection purposes, but the rest is true)
Bloomington, Indiana. 2003.
After our regular Friday afternoon basketball game, a handful of us went downstairs to do a little lifting. I was preparing to do my heaviest set on the bench press (1 rep at 225lbs) when Don came over and asked if he could join me.
Don was 30 years old, 6’1, 260 lbs, and from looking at him it was difficult to gauge what kind of shape he was in. He was not especially fat, nor was he muscular. His stomach did not protrude. He just looked kind of big and soft. He had just played basketball with us for hour without any trouble, and I knew him to run with a friend of mine who was a former cross country runner (and still in excellent shape.) But I didn’t know what to expect from Don in the weight room.
I told him he could work in with me on the bench and asked if he wanted me to remove any weight so he could warm up. 225 lbs is a lot of weight. I had been lifting for the previous five years, the last of which had been spent focusing almost exclusively on muscle strength training. I had also spent the previous 10 minutes warming up on the bench so my body would be ready for the 225 lbs lift.
Don told me to leave the weight on. He said it in a way that make me think he just didn’t want to inconvenience me with having to remove any of the weight.
I asked if he wanted me to spot him, but he said not to worry about it.
I didn’t think he knew what he was getting himself into, so I stood close behind and watched carefully in case anything went wrong.
Don calmly laid down on the bench, took the bar off the rack without any help and easily completed eight reps with near perfect form. I was impressed.
For the next few years, Don became one of my more consistent workout partners and taught me a few things along the way. (not all necessarily relating to exercise)
Bloomington, Indiana. 2005.
I had won a bet against Don. The stakes were a lunch at Long John Silver’s.
I approached the counter and ordered two pieces of fish with a side of hush puppies.
Don ordered an eight piece Treasure Chest Family Meal.
Don ate the entire eight piece Treasure Chest Family Meal in one sitting.
I’ve seen Don eat a lot.
I’ve seen Don eat a sirloin steak the size of a dinner plate with a loaf of Italian bread and a box of macaroni and cheese on the side.
I’ve seen Don eat $17 worth of cheap take-out Chinese food.
I’ve seen Don eat two steaks for lunch.
I’ve been in a room at 2:30 in the afternoon when another man who had spent the entire day with Don genuinely asked, “Don, how many steaks have you eaten today?”
(And if you had asked the other 15 guys in that room to guess Don’s answer, none of the would have guessed one or two.)
I’ve seen Don surreptitiously eat a cheesy garlic stick that belonged to our good friend’s 13 year old brother, and then deny eating it. (That kid is now 18. I spoke to him recently, and he was still joking about it.)
I remember Tony setting the over/under on the number of buffalo wings Don could eat at 100. And then realizing that he was being ridiculous, and changed the over/under to 150.
But regardless of the extreme eating, as long as Don was exercising regularly, he never got too big. The 260 he weighed in 2003 crept up to 285 by 2005, but even at 285, Don could still play basketball and run without limitation. And he was actually getting stronger from our lifting, so some of the weight he gained was muscle.
I pride myself in not being too polite, so whenever I would warn Don about his weight, he insisted that he wouldn’t let it get out of hand and that he’d eventually start eating better, but he never did.
A Warmer City, 2008
Don slipped and fell and badly injured his leg. The injury kept him from working out, but didn’t keep him from eating.
A Warmer City, 2010
After almost two years of minimal working out, Don is now bigger than ever. He probably weighs in the neighborhood of 330 lbs (I’ll get an exact number from him), and in my opinion, he’s reached the point at which it’s either time to slim down, or continue coasting along what is left of path to obesity.
The funny thing about Don being as big as he is, is that he knows what it takes to be in shape. He knows what foods are bad for him, but he eats them anyway. He knows how much he should exercise, but even though his leg has now healed, he just hasn’t been exercising.
We’re not going to document anything unusual or profound here. Don isn’t going to turn his life upside down and start exercising six days a week and go on some crazy diet. He is simply going to eat better and exercise more.
The exercise goal is three or four workouts per week, with a mix of cardio and weight lifting each time. It doesn’t have to be a strict routine that is mapped out day-by-day. He’s just gotta make sure he works hard.
The dieting goal is to eat more healthy food, and less unhealthy food. If Don wants to eat a steak once in a while, he can eat a steak. If he wants to drink a few beers once in a while, he can drink a few beers. Our theory is that everything is ok in moderation.
We haven’t decided on a format for this blog yet.
He will send me an e-mail every couple of days telling me what he ate and what he did for his workout. He can list any achievements from his workout, and anything else he wants to tell me. I will post the highlights.
He will weigh himself once a week and he will take a picture of himself once a month.
I’d wish him good luck, but I don’t think he needs it.
