Yep, sometimes people just need a kick in the ass, and this article certainly does it. But how many fatties actually read it? Probably few to none. T-Nation is not particularly friendly to the morbidly obese. Nor a likely place for them to come for information. The trouble is, it’s probably the BEST place to come.
By the way, what ever happened to T-Nation’s workout program for the morbidly obese? Still not done? If you’re going to offer critcism, you should offer a solution too.
What was said is incredible true, being a formely obese person it sucked, and the only way a difference was amde was when I chose to get off my fat ass and go to the gym
[quote]barn-e wrote:
By the way, what ever happened to T-Nation’s workout program for the morbidly obese?[/quote]
I was under the impression that it was a simple three-step process.
It seems simple, because it is.
Glad to see that someone had the huge cajones to finally say the truth and the ammo to back it up. Would like to know and see before and after photos of the formally fat Chris Shugart.
“You starved for six days, then ate a bucket of ice cream and cried.”
That was great.
If your reading this thread Chris that blog was pure genius. BRAVO! BRAV-FUCKING-O!!! I mean not that you wrote it for kudos but the letter reads like poetry. Merry Christmas Bob was entertaining and inspiring, Set Yourself on Fire turned it up a notch but Die Fatty Die leaves them all in the dust! (now how about letting us canuck in on the t-jacks!)
you stop being fat the day you start doing something about it. then you’re on the way to phatness 
So Chris, tell us how you really feel
I’m at a loss for words.
That was one of the best articles (blogs) I’ve ever read.
Do you mind if I print this and pass it around?
Well you this thread got me interested so I read the article, and…
HOLY SHIT wow um yep that is all I can say.
DA
No, no, no! It’s German for “The Fatty, The”
[quote]barn-e wrote:
By the way, what ever happened to T-Nation’s workout program for the morbidly obese? Still not done? If you’re going to offer critcism, you should offer a solution too.[/quote]
I started an article like this but ran into two roadblocks, well, maybe three.
Medical issues for the morbidly obese. Makes writing the training stuff difficult. And honestly, most of them can barely walk, so what do you write for the training section? Go for a walk? Stop riding scooters at the grocery store? Eat standing up?
I don’t think most extremely fat people need a “program.” I think they know exactly why they’re fat - no activity and poor diet. Some may argue that the diet info out there in the general public is bad and/or confusing, but I don’t think any diet out there says to overeat junk food - and that’s what most obese people do.
They usually won’t admit this however, but in my experience the truth always comes out in the end - and the truth is that they eat an astounding amount of crap, usually alone and not in front of others.
So, do they need a diet laid out for them? Maybe, but the first step would be, as I’ve said many times, they should stop eating the shit they know is bad for them! Do I have to write an article for them to know that eating a whole package of cookies at a sitting is bad?
And finally, I don’t like these people very much. Their mindsets disgust me. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to help them. I’ve been in their shoes (to an extent) and I know the change that needs to take place has to come from within. They have to make the choice. And most won’t.
Many need psychological counseling to go along with the diet and activity changes too, but that’s another topic.
[quote]sully’s wrote:
Would like to know and see before and after photos of the formally fat Chris Shugart.[/quote]
Luckily, digital cameras weren’t around much when I was a fat boy in the early nineties so few fat pics of me exist. And as any fat person will tell you, you don’t exactly want your picture taken much when you’re overweight, so I dodged a lot of cameras. (I never appeared in my college yearbooks for example.)
Actually, I’d like to find one just for the obligatory “before and after.” Of course, my before would be over ten years older than my after, but it’s pretty startling.
At my worst I was a sophomore in college with a full beard, hair down to my shoulders and carrying 60 pounds of extra fat. I hadn’t trained since my junior year of high school so it was all lard too, no muscle.
But I lost the fat and then got into lifting and the rest is history, as they say.
By my senior year in college, they made me get a new student ID because they didn’t believe I was the same person in the pic so they wouldn’t check books out to me at the university library. And I wasn’t even lifting yet!
For the whole story, see the “Meet the Press” interview with me. I think it was called “Turning the Tables on Chris Shugart” or something like that. It’s in the archives somewhere.
I gotta admit that after reading that article I did a terrible thing: I put on a pair of low cut jeans and and an abdominals-baring athletic top and went to the grocery store. Now ya gotta remember I’m a 48 year old female and I did this just to show the fatties that age doesn’t matter. Got a lot of stares and one guy kept turning up in the same aisle I was in, and then behind me in line. All in all it was pretty amusing.
Yeah, I’m a jerk. but a very fit jerk.
Chris:
Is it pretty safe to say that you haven’t been invited to be the Keynote Speaker at the next “NAFFA” convention?
Mufasa
Chris,
That’s the best thing you ever wrote. If only they all would die, before taking the health care system with them.
that’s a good article chris. i’ve struggled with my weight most of my life (my newer friends do not believe this), and while i’ve tried everything from bill Phillips to mike mentzer searching for a buff body i really got the best grasp of it all reading t-mag. in fact about about 3 years ago, at the age of 32 i entered my first powerlifting meet. my goal is now to see abs for the first time by Christmas. it’s really interesting now seeing some of my friends who started w/ better genetics now struggling. i guess because they were naturally trim for so long they never learned basic habits. i just get flabbergasted at seeing them wash down a meal with dr pepper or non diet coke. they’ll see me eat an entire pizza and say life’s not fair but they don’t want to acknowledge i just got out of the squat rack or deadlift platform with double my body weight or that i’ve eaten chicken and oatmeal all week. i’ve also known a number of significantly over weight people, i feel i could write a thesis on fat people. i’d have to say that the vast majority have major issues. their life is out of balance. they don’t make time for themselves to go to the gym cuz they are usually busy doing what somebody else wants them to do. they are too scared to say no. while i don’t know many people on the oreo diet i do know several heavier people who eat like once a day, usually crap and it’s whatever is there or where the group is going rather than planning their meals or speaking up n saying “no i wanna go here cuz they serve something healthy”. once i went to a concert w/ a heavier female friend (she wanted more than friendship :)), we got into a big fight because i wanted to eat. she was like, no, let’s eat after. i’d prolly be hungry after as well but i’d been to the gym that day and i needed food.
i liked this article, i think it underscores that we are t-men or t-vixens by a series of choices we make. i’ve procrastinated my trip to the squat rack long enough
[quote]gojira wrote:
I gotta admit that after reading that article I did a terrible thing: I put on a pair of low cut jeans and and an abdominals-baring athletic top and went to the grocery store. Now ya gotta remember I’m a 48 year old female and I did this just to show the fatties that age doesn’t matter. Got a lot of stares and one guy kept turning up in the same aisle I was in, and then behind me in line. All in all it was pretty amusing.
Yeah, I’m a jerk. but a very fit jerk.[/quote]
great post gojira,
age does not matter. i’m back in school at 35 and in better shape than most of my classmates. several of the professors are my age and they look like hammered s**t.
[quote]shamr0ck wrote:
you stop being fat the day you start doing something about it. then you’re on the way to phatness :)[/quote]
Thank you, I might be carrying a few extra pounds right now, but I’m not out stuffing my face with doritos and saying “poor me” I’m out busting my ass, eating every three hours healthy, and still maintainng a full time job and social life.
[quote]barn-e wrote:
Yep, sometimes people just need a kick in the ass, and this article certainly does it. But how many fatties actually read it? Probably few to none. T-Nation is not particularly friendly to the morbidly obese. Nor a likely place for them to come for information. The trouble is, it’s probably the BEST place to come.[/quote]
So if it is the best place to come, why not let them know about it and not say things like Die Fattie?