I'm Still a FAT Guy

In my head.

Today I worked out with a friend who has just been dying to run me through his routine. I held him off as long as I could so I relented today and went to the gym with him. I didn't want to go because I knew he would try to kill me. Anyway we got to the end of the work out and he wanted me to do burpees. To this point I have avoided any exercise that requires me to touch the floor.

If you don't know what a burpee is, check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIQx1FiQt50

This where the fat guy in my head comes in. I had such a mental block on doing the burpee I was literally unable to do them. Now granted I had just finished a 2 hour upper body work out and my arm strength was almost non-existent but what I had a problem with was kicking my legs out (from the video I was doing the first ones they showed not the second). I had it in my head that I could not do it, so guess what I COULDN'T. My buddy persisted and I eventually squeaked out 5 of the ugliest looking burpees you can imaging but by the 5th one I was getting my legs out. When I thought about this later I realized that could not get the image of my legs not working properly out of my head when I was doing them. I had some balance issues, just like when I was fat, the reality is that I can balance just fine. I had a fear of falling over (which I almost did several times, but the key word here is almost). 

I have a similar fear when I walk through a crowd because when I was lugging around 384lbs I would bump into, well, everyone and have to apologize as I squeeze my fat, sweaty ass past them. 

Now that I am well on my way to getting the fat guy on the outside gone, looks like I have some work to do on the fat guy on the inside.

 

I can totally relate! I bet you have enough perserverence to conquer those burpees until you get them down. My prediction is that you will do it within 2 weeks.

I hope so, it was pathetically embarrassing.

As i took up cycling recently, i can relate.  I was riding near my apartment in NJ and had just completed a grueling workout nearby.  As I was headed back to the apartment I had to pass by a roving band of teenage girls on the street, then begin a fairly steep hill climb.  I went around them, got about 30 feet away, down shifted sharply and pumped hard to go up the hill. The chain popped off so i was spinning wildly, my feet were clipped in and within a second I fell over into the street right in front of them.  Massive laughing at the old man who can't ride a bike.  

Ouch. That reminds me of the commercial where the guy hires 3 teenage girls to follow him around to keep him on his diet. Fortunately or unfortunately as the case may be it was just me and my buddy outside next to the gym so nobody saw, but this guy is relentless in making fun of me, not in a hurtful way, but just like you would expect from a buddy. I still hear a story from a couple years ago where my daughter tossed me off a jet ski and I couldn't get back on and he and another friend had to come out to help me. The story gets more and more dramatic every time it is told (its pretty funny actually) but it never ends. I can't wait to hear what kind of story erupts from the burpees.

Keith. I love you.

YOU TRIED IT.

That's a HUGE freaking step in ANY mental block. YOU TRIED IT.

I will tell you that JUST NOW, at 22 months out, I'm starting to see myself as a thin person most of the time. I walk differently, I move around differently and, more importantly, I THINK differently. It will come. Stay with it.

... having said that, my knees are DESTROYED - and I mean DESTROYED - so there's no way in hell I could do those, I'm proud of you for trying it and... you know what? YOU DID IT. FIVE of them. Who cares what they looked like. YOU FREAKING DID IT.

I apparently like CAPS today ;)

I have found that my head has never kept up with my weight loss - EVER!  You at least are aware and that is half the battle.  You can't fix what you don't acknowledge!  I think you are doing absolutely wonderful and are an inspiration for us pre-ops!

Way to go!  My husband does CrossFit, so I'm well versed in burpees!  I almost got him a T-shirt that says:  Buck Furpees!

I've been doing squats -- and for the longest time, I would only do them in the pool (on the entry ramp -- I wasn't trying to drown myself!).  Then I moved to a secluded part of the gym and would back up to a wooden box and do them because I was terrified that I'd fall backwards on my butt and never get up!  

When I finally fessed up to my trainer that I had been doing the squats "on land" she had me demonstrate to make sure I was doing them correctly, and said my form was great and she was impressed.  I was shocked -- but it all goes back to the same thing -- I our brains, we think we "can't", instead of embracing that we "can"!

Kudos to you!

Holy **** I am totally getting that shirt!

I started doing squats a few weeks ago, it takes me about 3 days to recover from them. I was doing them without weights and then I tried it with about 100lbs on a smith machine and I could not walk right for 3 days. I am working out with the same guy tomorrow and I have a feeling squats are on deck.

Congrats on the squats, if you haven't tried them on a smith rack, give it a try, it certainly adds a new dimension and it works the biggest muscles in our body.

Ugh, I hate burpees!!  sucks that they do a body good!!