The Trip to the Donut Shop
I was taking my mom to grab a treat after a long day of not fun doctors appointments. I wonder how much time she’s spent at the hospital or in doctors offices in her life. Why some people, through now fault of their own, manage to get dealt the sick card, while others never have to deal with sickness, is actually probably not a healthy thing to think about. Hahah. What I do know is my mom was in fact dealt the sick card, and 99.9% of the time she has managed to endure a great deal in her life with a great sense of humor and hope. Why some humans are the fat card and need to lose 80 pounds, now that is something I can talk about.
It was clear on this day, she deserved a donut, and I was going to be the son in shining armor to acquire that deep fried glob of heaven blessed goodness. Holy crap I love donuts. Have you ever seen them sold as “raised dough rings.” I did once. I laughed about it, and then I ate like 7000 of them. At this point, donuts are probably a part of my genetic makeup. Dangit I love donuts. Haha. Can you tell I’m a recovering donut addict?
I was well into my year long commitment to change my body when we walked into the donut shop that day. Does anybody else’s mom have the unique talent of exposing everything about them in a matter of seconds to complete strangers? You know I love you mom, but when my identity gets stolen, I’m pretty sure it will because you told all strangers everything about me in shocking time. I could still be holding out my hand to accept a menu after sitting down at restaurant, and by some miraculous feat of language, the waitress will know all of my academic accomplishments, how many children I have, and what my plans are to get more fans for my music career.
Well this day, the mother figure did not disappoint in showing off one of her secret mom powers that I guess really isn’t a secret at all. Of all the places for my mom to talk about my success of losing 80 pounds, a donut shop seemed a little out of place, but there was no stopping the mama now. There was but one middle aged employee selling sugar fat discs that day. Haha. Again, you’re the greatest mom, I’m not mocking you, and even if I was, you’d probably laugh about it, right?
Well, the donut master listened intently as my mom revealed the details of my body transformation. I never know what do to in these moments. I usually just stare at the floor and mutter something. Next time I’m thinking I might just own it. Hit my chest a few times, and be all like “yeah, she’s talkin’ about me.” “I did that. I’m the bombity bomb dawg, and my mom’s a first hand witness. She could in no way be biased at all.”
What the Lord Duke of Jelly Filled Fried Flour Pockets said next, truly caught me off guard. He didn’t respond by looking at my mom, instead he looked me directly in the eyes and said “If you can lose 80 pounds, you can do anything. I know people that don’t have the discipline to lose 5.” I usually just feel awkward after something about my life has been revealed to some stranger that would later steal my identity, but this time, it felt very different.
I gave Fritter Freddy a simple thank you, I bought my mom something I was jealous of, and we left. If it’s not obvious at this point, what he said made an impression on me, which is why I’m talking about it almost two years later. It’s also getting really hard to give Benny the Bear Claw Beastcake new names, but I’ll keep trying. His name was probably Dan or something. Hahah, Donut Dan aint bad anyway.
The Fat Card and How You Get So Fat Faced Wes?
I’ve been a on the bigger side of the body equation since about the age of 12 or so. Perhaps it was then I realized that slurpees were among my favorites extracurricular activities. Once I started driving and I had a few bucks in my pocket, sugar consumption only increased. Also, as it turns out I am one of those lucky life contestants that won the easy weight gain lottery. I have many brothers and sisters out there, and I salute you! Cheers to us comrades! Those of us that can gain 3 pounds by watching someone else eat a bag of Doritos. That’s our card!
Well, as a result of that card, and poor life choices to find better ways to live with that card, I spent many years as a fatty fat face. I had every classic excuse in my back pocket as to why I had gotten so big. It’s also incredible how I learned to live inside of the strange fat world I had built for myself. I knew I was bigger, but it wasn’t until I dropped the weight and looked back at myself that I saw just how insanely big I was.
Something Clicked
Finally, after a good decade of bouncing around the 300 pound mark, something finally clicked. My buddy Jake and I started a competition to lose weight. We committed on camera to make a change in our lives. For some reason, making that commitment in that specific way created the accountability I needed. I also wanted a big surprise for Jake as well to try and almost shock us into action. One of Jakes favorite bands is a group called Middle Class Rut. I got lucky and was able to get the two dudes in that group to record videos to surprise Jake. The surprise was pretty amazing.
After that, we were left to our own devices to try and drop the pounds. We planned on checking in with the channel regularly to show how much weight we’d been losing. I knew the first thing I needed to commit to was no refined sugar. Stupid, bad, naughty, evil, wicked Zoot, I mean sugar (if you got that reference I love you). That one action alone, with a lot of walking, and some awkward fat guy yoga, led to at least 40 pounds gone after a few months.
I was stoked with the progress I had made up to that point, so I started doing research. Mostly in the form of YouTube body transformation videos, but the videos that probably ended up making the most difference was finding Dr. Berg. I found him to be grounded in science, and every video made logical sense. I took what I learned from him, and made my own spin on it, and that is what led to all the weightloss.
But more than no sugar and watching a ton of videos, it was the switch in my head flipping that made the big difference. It all comes down to one easy word, but a word many of us have a hard time with: COMMITMENT. I simply never bucked up and made a real commitment to change my life and my body.
It of course is not easy. You have to rewire how you think about food. But, holy baste face in a bucket of bile, it’s worth it. I would get sick literally every month with a nasty cold. After I dropped the weight, snap, no more colds. It had never dawned on me what the weight was doing to my immune system. No Dr. Pepper, donut, pizza, or cookie is worth feeling like garbage all the time. I vow to never go back. You can keep those 80 pounds you stupid delicious crappy food.
So my dear friends dealt the fat face card, I promise you can do it. Aside from finally making a commitment, I also learned something that applies to all of us trying to hit any kind of goal: You’ve got to make it fun! Changing your life is hard, but with the right mindset and tools, it can be crazy fun too.
Well, when Dan the Doughnut Man complimented me on that day, he stirred up a little portion of self-confidence that laid dormant. The thought to extend the commitment I had displayed during those months of weight loss to the rest of my life never crossed my mind. I had lost a crap ton of weight, and maybe Krispy Kreme Kevin was right. I left the shop that day feeling that I could in fact do anything.
The sentiment didn’t last long. While I have managed to keep most of that weight off over two years later, my mindset still needed some major work to believe that I could in fact do anything.
Then came 2020, the pandemic, losing my day job, and the next real breakthrough of mindset. I Will Thrive was created, along with Prioritize Your Life, and another business I’ve been hinting at for awhile now. The little insecure fat boy within is just a memory. So thank you Captain Cruller Cake Pants. You’re right. I know I can do anything I want. There’s no limits here anymore. I will in fact find a way to thrive and make my life exactly what I picture in my mind.
But here’s the most important part, who cares about me. Most of you reading or listening to this don’t need to care about me or anything I’ve done, despite what my dear mother thinks. Haha. You want to know what you can get out of this for you. First of all, please take away that if I can do it you can too. You can lose the weight, start the business, make the art, record the videos, or whatever it is. All it takes is serious real commitment, and the tools to make it fun.
With that, I’m also crazy stoked to finally announce the business I’ve been hinting at for months. The business is called Giggle Fit, GiggleFit.com. The premise for the business is pretty much the story of this episode put into a brand and various program. Our tagline is “Change Comes Faster With Laughter.” Phase 1 is the gear and the foundation of the website. Phase 2 will be YouTube content with crazy and silly challenges and programs for purchase. All if of it will be a mix of fun and science to help us all change our lives.
And by all, I mean all. Jake and I are the hosts, and we will be using our own programs to show how they work in our lives. It’s going to rock so hard, it’s going to rock your casbah and your moms casbah simultaneously.
So, let’s do a cute little round up all the way back to the title. I lost 80 pounds in a year, so what? It really doesn’t mean anything to anyone, except me. It could mean something to you however, if you are looking for a way to change your life once and for all and you’d like to join me! I’m taking everything I learned and putting it into something that will provide a lot of value and fun to a lot of people. Stay tuned!
I Will Thrive!
VIDEO version of this episode HERE
PODCAST version of this episode HERE
