Bye Bye, Backfat - The Remixed Reboot

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Garbage in, garbage out...

Garbage out, period.



Yup, folks, the above pic is me in the fall of 2010 after boxing away the backfat. Over the course of the spring and summer of 2010 I dropped weight from a whopping 205 pounds to approximately 180 missing my goal of 173 by a mere 7 pounds. I turned back the hands of time. I became a semi-lean, not-too-mean fighting machine.

And then I packed up my life and moved to Atlanta.

Dealing with a new environment, combating a very rough patch with the wife, and entering a highly unwelcoming job market all spelled one thing: eating comfort food. Hamburgers, more hamburgers, french fries, milkshakes with every meal, BIG breakfasts, home made lemonade and sweet tea, strawberry cheesequake blizzards (concrete heaven in a cup) from Dairy Queen, ribs, lemon pepper chicken wings, atomic chicken wings, fish tacos (these are actually healthy), and more french fries. Not to mention until I get a bike, I have to drive everywhere as nothing is walkable except the business district.

The food was good and the associated bloating, feeling terrible and lethargic was just all apart of the joy of food. In January I began working out with one of my neighbors, a former Olympian. It was then that I mounted a scale and discovered the ugly truth. In four months time I had gained back nearly all the weight I spent boxing. She assured me I'd lose it all and then some.

What did I think was going to happen? I'm not twenty anymore. In fact, I'll be forty in the fall. I was pretty depressed the day I got this news. So depressed that after working out, I pulled into a McDonald's drive-thru and ordered a Quarter Pounder without cheese (it was without cheese).

Then in March I went away to the Disney Dreamers Academy and was bombarded with so much "cruise ship food" that I had to draw the line somewhere. I began guzzling water like your average everyday dog and cat does. Something strange began to happen. I began to naturally clean out, detox, whatever you want to call it. I returned to Atlanta, vowing not to touch any drink with sugar in it any time soon. I took it a step further and swore myself off the stuff for lent, overlooking that my beloved coffee falls into the category of sugary drinks based on the way I like to drink my coffee. Not drinking fruit punch and sweet tea is easy, but coffee?! But 6 weeks in I'm doing fine. In addition to the sugary drinks, I've cut out white flour bread, and my other most beloved: french fries. Do I miss it? Yes. Am I tempted? Often. Do I miss being bloated and feeling heavy? Not at all. I'll take feeling and looking better over tasting and drinking heavenly creations, only to spend the rest of the day farting and belching, any day of the week.

I've managed to lose 7 pounds pretty effortlessly and last week I joined a gym not to far from my home that by New York standards would be completely unaffordable. But down here it's $29 bucks a month. I'm there 4 days a week for no less than 2 hours at a time, working out like I'm in a movie, trying to win the big game and the girl.

Garbage out! This is the remixed reboot of Bye, Bye Backfat. If you haven't heard the hit song that goes along with this blog series of mine you'll have to watch the videos. It all feels nice and natural. I'm getting my house in order --- my temple (my body), my actual domicile, my kids activities and my finances. It's all apart of the plan for healthy, holistic, rich and happy living.

Backfat begone! Garbage begone! Welcome healthy, wealthy, happy life!


E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.