Famous For Being Fat
In a weird twist of events I am now “famous” for being fat.
A couple of days ago I was inspired to post a New Year’s resolution vblog on iReport (CNN) because I saw this video of a woman who has been struggling with her weight for 25 years. In the video she sounded frustrated (but determined) and just plain flabbergasted that she hasn’t been successful after all these years. I know the feeling, I have been on the yo-yo diet circuit for 14 years. I really don’t want it to be 25.
So on a whim, I shot a video, edited with iMovie and uploaded the video without really thinking about what would happen next. Honestly, I just thought it would be a great way to more publicly commit to changing my life … and a little part of me thought it might work to promote my blog a bit.
Well yesterday, the nice folks at CNN Online called me because they wanted to interview me, feature my iReport video and keep tabs on my weight loss efforts. This morning it hit the front page of the Health section and for a while it was in the Top 10 stories on CNN – woohoo! And now, it’s official: I have gained notoriety for being overweight. That’s just plain bizarre.
Of all the things the reasons that I can even fathom being on CNN or to have an article written about me, THAT REASON was not in the realm of my imagination. I mean, I used to think that being overweight kept me from accomplishing my goals. Now the fact that I am overweight is helping me to accomplish my goals. Go figure. I think this is a great first lesson in putting yourself out there and going for it.
Let’s just hope that this story has a happy ending. No pressure with the world watching and all. Good lord, this makes me want to dive into a slice of coconut cream pie, but doh! THE WORLD IS WATCHING! Now I have to walk the talk! Holy shit!
Well, in lieu of the pie, I guess I’ll have to settle for this dry-ass Ak-mak cracker and some green tea instead. Sweet Jesus, this is gonna be hard.
(Oh yeah, a big thanks to Rob, Sunny and Christine at Momversation for providing me that damn camera. I’m unstoppable now.)
Tags: 15 minutes of fame, cnn, Weight Loss
This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 7th, 2009 at 11:26 am and is filed under Daily, Weight Loss. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
well, make an action plan for your goals and get it done. its okay to mess up, just make sure you get back on track.
Out with the frying pan and into the fire! I found your site through Mizfit — but I guess I should check out CNN more. Talk about motivation. I’m rooting for you. Just remember that honesty is the best policy. If you’re honest about who you are, what you’re doing, what you’re messing up on, and what’s working, you’ll do it. Be honest with yourself above all else. And GOOD LUCK!
Christie´s last blog post..Frustration Central . . .
Hi Giyen,
Roni of Roni’s Weigh pointed you out to me. Wow, this is sure the max of all accountabilities, but you can do it! What an opportunity to get that extra little push you need. I believe you will succeed. Like you I do not want to see 25 years of struggling, and I am also around the 14 to 15 mark, but more seriously needing the lose from about five-six years ago. One thing about my blog is that I have decided brutal honesty about the reality of my situation is the way to go. After all, to get to succcess we need to be brutally honest with ourselves about where we are. I look forward to ‘stalking you’ on this journey.
Sheri´s last blog post..Are you stressed?
YAY so nice to see a fellow fat fighter featured in such a positive way! Congratulations!
Scale Junkie´s last blog post..Weighing In On Friday
I will be cheering you on and challenging myself to make lasting changes. Good luck at being a ‘loser’.
Lesley
Lesley´s last blog post..Shhhhhhhh don’t wake me…I am dreaming
Wow, that is awesome! There is something about being accountable to ‘the world’ that will help you stay on track. That was my own motivation for starting my blog ( which hasn’t quite hit ‘the world’ yet, but maybe one day!!).
Looking forward to following your progress!
Marisa´s last blog post..Reading, Cooking, Games
Hi there, I came over from MizFit’s site, and just wanted to say that your story is amazing and keep up the awesome work.
Running Knitter´s last blog post..2009 Goals and Questions for the experts…
Saw your story on MizFit and I just wanted to say that its great. You will have a lot of people cheering you on to success this time.
Merry Mary´s last blog post..First Video Update of 2009
Congrats on your huge success! I know it must be strange to get that kind of attention in a way, but it’s still very exciting.
Being famous for being fat is a kick-ass way of turning your burden into a benefit; it’s taking the proverbial lemons and making lemonade. (You can certainly take it from me.) But playing devil’s advocate here — are you sure you want to measure your success in pounds lost? How about taking up a sport (like running/walking) and setting goals for stamina, speed, etc.? Or measuring your progress by improvements to your vitals? Just throwing some challenging grist into the weight-loss mill. Hey, it’s my job. Good luck! Live your dreams!
You so kick ass! Down with bacon!
Hanna´s last blog post..Mental
Wow, you’re awesome! I’m here by way of MizFit and I was pretty much RIGHT.WHERE.YOU.ARE. exactly one year ago. I could literally feel my exact feelings when I watched your video. It brings tears to my eyes! (I’m even a freelance writer and everything — so we have a little in common! haha!) Anyway, I wanted accountability, I wanted to live my life and I wanted to start saying YES again. So I proclaimed 2008 “The year of me” and it was. I set myself goals, to run a 5k by June, to run a 10k by October, and I ACTUALLY DID IT! And I ended up losing 40 pounds along the way. Turns out, I actually ran 3 5ks and 2 10ks (I ran one yesterday) in the span of a year. And now I’m training for a half-marathon for March. (CRAZY!!!!)
If you’d have asked my fatter self (a balmy 180 pounds) in January of 2008 what the year ahead held for me, I would never have imagined what actually happened. I wish you your final success this year in the YEAR OF Giyen!!!! This is YOUR YEAR! I know you can do it!! If you want to weigh in with us at my blog on Fridays, feel free! There are lots of blogs who do it in groups and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them! Safety in numbers, as I always say!!!
christieo´s last blog post..Fat Ticker Friday
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