Bobby's World

Hello Former Fatties. I'm hoping we've got some new readers and this really feels like a fresh start, so here's a recap of my story in brief.

This is me:

OK...that was me. This was me too:

Please observe the plate of meat in front of me.

Like Liz, I'd always been chubby, and eventually that evolved into man-sized fat. In college there was a (unfathomably delicious) special named after me at the local pizza place. Which I ate just about every day. At least once.

That second picture was taken in January of 2008, at my heaviest - 205 lbs at least. I'd had two experiments with not-fatness before this. Between my sophomore and junior years of high school I travelled the entire country for 50 days with 20 students and six teachers (many of

whom were younger than I am now. That makes me feel so old and also makes me appreciate how much fun they must have had.) I dropped almost 30 pounds (umm...that is insane math) due to all of the hiking and controlled eating. Eventually though, my weight crept back up.

Going into my senior year of college I challenged a roommate to a summer weightloss challenge and won by going from 202 to about 179 pounds. It was at this point that I learned some valuable lessons:

• I can lose weight and be fit if I actually dedicate myself to it.
• There is almost nothing as satisfying as someone not recognizing you because you've dropped so many pounds.

Unfortunately, I also learned that you can't take your thinness for granted. By Thanksgiving, I had put back on zero pounds. By graduation, I was close to 200 again. By the next January...see the above photo.

With my sister's wedding approaching, I started trying to eat right and work out. I wasn't particularly consistent and only lost a few pounds by the April 2008 ceremony. Disappointed, I tried harder, and eventually my super supportive boss/friend Auria turned me onto weightwatchers.com. Altogether, I lost about 20 pounds in 2008, but almost all of that happened pre-Autumn. Hovering in the low 180s (just as I did after my first fitness bet) was enough to make me get compliments on looking better, but I knew I was still overweight, and stuck. Enter Katy.

I just summarized the events of the Former Fatties 2009 a few days ago, so I'll just say that it (and she) pushed me beyond a threshold I never thought I'd cross. It has gradually sunk in that I am actually kinda thin now:

Lately I kinda fluctuate between 160 and 165 pounds, so on a good day, I've lost 45 pounds. I'd really love to hit 155 because I've always said I'd throw a 50 Pounds Party, but really, I'm not sure how much less I should weigh. I've worked out extremely hard over the last two years, but never with the consistency that I think I need to. I could just still be much more toned. Essentially - yes, I'm thin, but before we know it we will be at the beach. After a lifetime of "trying" to lose weight and two years of actually trying, I'd like to turn some heads this summer. And I don't want to live in fear of slipping back to my old self (unless it is to that first picture. Life was great then.)

And so my goals for this chapter of the Former Fatties are:

Food: Keep track of what I'm eating, and stay within an acceptable level of intake. Make the healthiest choices possible.

I am going to be doing this by using WeightWatchers online to count "points." This is a fancy way of making sure that I'm eating the right amount with thankfully little guesswork. And it is hella flexible. I will also be trying to reach WW's "Healthy Guidelines" every day, which essentially means eating tons of produce, lean protein, whole grains, some dairy, and drinking water constantly. I need to track every point every day in order to stay balanced for the week, therein lies my "Food Goal."

Fitness: Workout six times a week.

It is time for me to accept that in order to go from "not fat" to "so fit," "hot," "Efronesque," or whatever you want to call it, I need to workout hard. I am going to be completing BeachBody's Insanity program. I do not want to miss a day. The time is now.

Free Form (for this week): Get ready for an incredible year.

For tons of reasons, this year is going to be a really important one for me. A lot has changed recently so I'm doing my best to get organized, purged of clutter, and in a routine that will facilitate me really growing into the person I've always known I could/should be. So far, so good.

This whole summary of my life has been entirely focused on my waistline, and maybe that is because a lot of my life has been too. I feel really ready to put that behind me. I've been a musician since before I could read, own just about every Muppet movie and can hold my breath through the entire Midtown Tunnel. Someone once called me Boyonce´ and I have since lived my life trying to prove them right. I want facts like these to be how people describe me instead of, "Oh...you know Bobby? Fair skin...loves pizza..."

OK...I will always love pizza.