Man vs. Food– and Man Loses

Although Thanksgiving is over, many of us (me included) still struggle to lose the weight we gained from eating too much.  For Thanksgiving at my house, instead of chomping down on roasted turkey, my father cooked barbequed baby-back pork spareribs using the oven.  We also had honey-baked ham; I just loved eating the glazed edges of the ham slices where the honey taste is most sweet.  And I know this may sound gross, but I like eating the white fat of the honey-baked ham as well.

I try to incorporate exercise into my daily routine, even with school in my schedule.  I usually park my car at the Tacoma Dome Station, and running to the Link tram from the sixth floor of the parking structure tires me out.  Dashing down the stairs and sprinting to the tram gets me winded, reminding me of my high school days when I ran for my school’s track team, always gasping for air because of my asthma after a run around the track.

I also consider walking up to Longshoreman’s Hall from the main campus exercise.  The steep incline puts a lot of strain on my calves and thighs as I ascend the hill.  Ironically, however, I do not usually visit Longshoreman’s Hall to exercise; I go there to play video games and eat chips and drink soda.

Walking, in general, I pass off as legitimate exercise, even when I do something that defeats its purpose.  For example, I consider walking around the mall exercise, but I always end up snacking, even when I am not hungry.  I walk around my local Walmart to exercise as well, only to purchase soda and junk food, which includes potato chips and candy.

Ever since I moved to Washington State two years ago, I have gained much weight.  My head looks more roundish than oval nowadays.  I have a really big belly that resembles that of a pregnant woman in her second trimester.  My chest is flat, but then right underneath my breastplate, my tummy curves outward like an apple.  Sucking in my gut to look thin hurts.  It saddens me that I can no longer wear the khaki slacks I had worn to the Tahoma West celebration where I had read my essay.  And that was just earlier this year!  Coincidentally, I had purchased those khaki slacks because I was too skinny at the time.  There weren’t any pants my size.

In a previous article of mine (“Does Fun Size Really Matter?”), I express that eating can be a fun activity, assuming that the portion is correct.  I had addressed that “bite size” candy isn’t “fun,” and I stand by the argument: “fun” is no euphemism for small.

However, I did not address the point at which food can be wasteful.  One favorite food show of mine is Man v. Food on the Travel Channel.  I always ask myself, “How can that Adam guy eat so much?”  Although I like this show and Adam is a charming man, those food challenges he faces at the end are a waste of food.  He eats gargantuan-size portions of food, like hamburgers with the girth of a car’s tire.  Whenever he takes on those culinary challenges, he looks miserable: he sweats profusely and he food intake rate becomes sluggish.

Where is the fun in this activity?

Eating for the sake of eating is not good and most likely watching eating challenges on Man v. Food subconsciously influenced me to snack when I’m not really all that hungry.  Makes sense: I started watching Man v. Food when I moved to Washington.