My Freshman year at Auburn I was in College ROTC. All through High School, I wanted to be an Army Officer. I was in Junior ROTC, so that's not surprising. What was surprising was the amount of running, push-ups and sit-ups involved, especially the running.
I was great at hiking. I could walk all day long. The previous summer I backpacked 300 miles in the mountains of New Mexico and Colorado, so it never occurred to me that I would ever have to run anywhere. All of the books I read talked about sitting in a foxhole, standing guard duty, or sleeping in the mud. My father, who was drafted into the army in 1956, apparently spent his time in Basic Training painting Santa Claus and his eight reindeer for the base commander. He never mentioned having to run once, although he did talk a lot about the wonderful food in Vicenza, Italy where he was stationed. So it was a big surprise that early one morning a crusty sergeant told me to run two miles.
You see, a healthy soldier will recover from injuries faster. A soldier that is at the optimum weight for his height is easier to carry off the battlefield. And - this one took me years to figure out - somethings you need to run away from.
Three mornings a week we gathered at 5:30 am on the drill field for pushups, situps, squat thrusts, stretching and finally, a run around campus. Sometimes we would run in formation at a nice, leisurely pace; sometimes we would run inside the coliseum at our own pace. On the weeks that the Dallas Cowboys won (a lot that season), we got to take the next Monday morning off. We were still expected to pass the PT test that everyone else in the army took, and we were expected to pass it.
To pass, we were required to score at least 60% in each of the three events: push-ups, sit-ups and a two mile run. I sucked at push-ups (I've always lacked upper body strength) and could squeeze out twenty or thirty on a good day. Luckily, I needed 22 to pass. After a while I got really good at sit-ups, so I could bang out 60 or so in two minutes. For the run we had to do two miles in 15:54 for 60%. I Don't think I ever got close to that - in fact I think I got worse as the year went by. My best score was probably in the 17:00 range.
Late in the year one of the senior instructors called me into his office and broke the news that I had lost my scholarship due to grades, or lack thereof. He explained to me that if I really wanted to be an officer, that I should change majors to something a little easier (I was an Engineering major), and suggested Forestry. We also had a nice little chat about my PT scores and how they needed to improve with a quickness.
I wound up changing majors to Forestry, which was the biggest mistake I think I've ever made. I gave up ROTC and dreams of becoming an officer, but I got stuck in that godforsaken major. After a year of classes and a summer of working for Georgia Pacific as an intern, I decided I wasn't cut out for the job (too many snakes, yellow jackets, briars, brambles, thorns and beaver ponds for my taste) and that what I needed was to get out as quickly as possible.
Monday, August 31, 2009
The College Years
In college I found friends and freedom. I remember having my first beer, and thinking hey this isn't so bad. The second one was good. All the rest were really good.
I turned into a beer snob, only drinking the best I could find, turning my nose up at Milwaukee's Beast because "it all tastes the same anyway". I wasn't so stuck up about the food I ate. Pizza, wings, hamburgers, It was the diet de jour. Somehow I managed to get an ID card from the manager at Wendy's, which gave me a 10% discount. I ate there almost every day, always getting the single with cheese combo - $2.87 with tax.
Every Wednesday night was wing night at a local restauraunt called Ryans (not the all-you-can-eat buffet place). $5.99 for all the wings you could cram into your head. I had a friend - we'll call him Piehole - who prided himself on his ability to eat and not gain weight. He would brag about going to Cheeburger-Cheeburger and eating two of their one-pound hamburgers. You got your picture on the wall every time you finished one, and he got his put up twice that day.
Anyway, on Wing nights, Piehole and I would try to see who could eat the most wings. If you're not familiar with hot wings (who isn't?), they're chicken wings that have been seperated at the joints, deep fried without breading and soaked in a butter-hotsauce mixture. They're served with celery and a side of either Ranch or Bleu Cheese dressing. We're talking 75-100 calories, each. We would eat something like 100 of them, and be proud of it. Of course, Piehole liked to run 12 miles a day, so he never had a problem. I went from 185 to 215 that first year.
I turned into a beer snob, only drinking the best I could find, turning my nose up at Milwaukee's Beast because "it all tastes the same anyway". I wasn't so stuck up about the food I ate. Pizza, wings, hamburgers, It was the diet de jour. Somehow I managed to get an ID card from the manager at Wendy's, which gave me a 10% discount. I ate there almost every day, always getting the single with cheese combo - $2.87 with tax.
Every Wednesday night was wing night at a local restauraunt called Ryans (not the all-you-can-eat buffet place). $5.99 for all the wings you could cram into your head. I had a friend - we'll call him Piehole - who prided himself on his ability to eat and not gain weight. He would brag about going to Cheeburger-Cheeburger and eating two of their one-pound hamburgers. You got your picture on the wall every time you finished one, and he got his put up twice that day.
Anyway, on Wing nights, Piehole and I would try to see who could eat the most wings. If you're not familiar with hot wings (who isn't?), they're chicken wings that have been seperated at the joints, deep fried without breading and soaked in a butter-hotsauce mixture. They're served with celery and a side of either Ranch or Bleu Cheese dressing. We're talking 75-100 calories, each. We would eat something like 100 of them, and be proud of it. Of course, Piehole liked to run 12 miles a day, so he never had a problem. I went from 185 to 215 that first year.
The Beginning
I wasn't always big. I remember being thin, as a small child. I guess I started to put on weight in first or second grade, or at least I remember being teased for my weight starting about then.
When I was in elementary school, I was in a program called "Gifted and Talented". I never really considered myself either, but apparently I qualified. The problem with being in a class with a bunch of really smart kids is that they find really creative ways to be cruel to you.
By the time I got into Junior High, 7th or 8th grade, I wasn't really fat, but my body image was set. There was no way that I could imagine myself as anything other than as a "Fat Kid".
In High School I started to become more active. I had been camping with the Boy Scouts for years, but as I got older I started participating in more physical activities. The summer between my Junior and Senior year I went to a Boy Scout camp in Northern New Mexico called Philmont, where I was in the Rayado program. For two weeks we hiked and backpacked in the Sangre de Cristo mountains, and I had the best time. I started out really out of shape, but by the time I got home (I spent seven weeks total there, but that's another story) I was lean and mean.
My Senior year of High School was probably the most active of my life. I was in shape. I worked out daily getting myself ready for college ROTC. Towards the end of the year I developed a touchy stomach. I'm sure I provided lots of entertainment for my friends, running to the bathroom to puke at odd times. Many years later I recognized the signs of panic attacks.
After High School, I took two summer jobs. The first was at the Auburn University Printing Plant, doing general scut work and eventually delivering books and other publications. The second was at the University Police Department as a night security guard. I actually got paid to walk around campus at night. That summer I lost about 40 pounds, putting my college starting weight at 185.
When I was in elementary school, I was in a program called "Gifted and Talented". I never really considered myself either, but apparently I qualified. The problem with being in a class with a bunch of really smart kids is that they find really creative ways to be cruel to you.
By the time I got into Junior High, 7th or 8th grade, I wasn't really fat, but my body image was set. There was no way that I could imagine myself as anything other than as a "Fat Kid".
In High School I started to become more active. I had been camping with the Boy Scouts for years, but as I got older I started participating in more physical activities. The summer between my Junior and Senior year I went to a Boy Scout camp in Northern New Mexico called Philmont, where I was in the Rayado program. For two weeks we hiked and backpacked in the Sangre de Cristo mountains, and I had the best time. I started out really out of shape, but by the time I got home (I spent seven weeks total there, but that's another story) I was lean and mean.
My Senior year of High School was probably the most active of my life. I was in shape. I worked out daily getting myself ready for college ROTC. Towards the end of the year I developed a touchy stomach. I'm sure I provided lots of entertainment for my friends, running to the bathroom to puke at odd times. Many years later I recognized the signs of panic attacks.
After High School, I took two summer jobs. The first was at the Auburn University Printing Plant, doing general scut work and eventually delivering books and other publications. The second was at the University Police Department as a night security guard. I actually got paid to walk around campus at night. That summer I lost about 40 pounds, putting my college starting weight at 185.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Not Another Weight Loss Blog!
Yes, I guess I have to. Apparently, discussing your failure (and sometimes success) with the world helps.
I am overweight. At my current weight (277) my BMI falls between 33 and 34 (That's me on the last line of the chart - I'm 6 foot 4 inches. Yes, the weather is nice up here. No, I don't have to inform the FAA when I run). It's a vast improvement over my starting weight of 324, which puts me at 39-40. At my worst, I was over 360 pounds, and a heart-stopping BMI of 40. I've come a long way in the last two years, but a deadly disease will do that to you. More on that later.
I am overweight. At my current weight (277) my BMI falls between 33 and 34 (That's me on the last line of the chart - I'm 6 foot 4 inches. Yes, the weather is nice up here. No, I don't have to inform the FAA when I run). It's a vast improvement over my starting weight of 324, which puts me at 39-40. At my worst, I was over 360 pounds, and a heart-stopping BMI of 40. I've come a long way in the last two years, but a deadly disease will do that to you. More on that later.
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