Who is FatGuyThin?

I am Craig Knight

and this is my story.

I was a chubby kid who became a 320lb adult (after a brief spell as a semi-slim teenager and a not-so-brief spell as a hefty 20-something). 

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at age 32. I control my blood sugar with insulin. After several failed attempts at recapturing my semi-slim youth (and my health), I was abruptly jolted into action.

Between September 2007 and March 2009, I lost 140lb. I didn’t manage to recapture my youth, but I am in 32-inch pants, and that’s about as close as I can get. 

My doctor is very happy. Not about the 32-inch pants - he doesn’t care if I wear Lycra shorts or Oxford bags – but he does care about the numbers that tell him about my health. And those numbers are improving all the time. 

I blog about how and why I lost weight, and why I believe it's not necessary to spend your life in a gym, or pound the pavement to do it. 

What’s Your Secret for Losing Fat?

I stopped eating the stuff that was making me fat - seriously. That, and exercise a couple of times a week. There is no magic bullet.

Like most people, I have read plenty of diet books. And while this undoubtedly helped me to form my own ideas on the subject, I did not follow anyone’s diet plan. 

I eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, some meat, fish, bread, potatoes, and rice. Oh, and tea.

As for exercise, I strength-train once or twice a week for 20-minutes or less. Now I realize this is a departure from the exercise others recommend. And it probably sounds like I’m just begging for a heart attack or a stroke - or a pair of concrete boots from the aerobics brigade - but it’s not your normal kind of strength training.

Maybe there is a magic bullet after all? Maybe it’s strength training? That’s the major difference between what I do and people I know who are struggling to lose weight. Well, that and actually eating fewer calories than I use. Still, that’s another story. 

There’s one thing that I want to point out from the start. As part of my fat loss program, I used a diet drug called Reductil (sibutramine hydrochloride monohydrate). I did this under a doctor’s supervision. I’m telling you this because you deserve to know the facts. And when it comes to weight loss, facts are a little thin on the ground. Well, not on my blog!

Is Reductil the reason I lost 140lb? Nope, not the sole reason. I used it in combination with exercise and diet. Reductil isn’t an amphetamine – it doesn’t speed up your metabolism. It doesn’t stop you from eating chocolate, sweets, or cake. And it doesn’t get your ass out of the chair and into the gym. 

How big a part did Reductil play in my fat loss? I honestly don’t know. Ask me when I’ve been off it for some time. I do know, however, that you cannot underestimate the psychological effect of taking a pill. 

Am I recommending that you take Reductil or some other drug? Absolutely not! I am not a doctor and I am not qualified to give such a recommendation. 

Where Are You From?

I live in England. When I’m not blogging, I can be found at Starbuck’s. When I’m not at Starbuck’s, I work in an office pushing paper around and drinking tea (hope my boss doesn’t read this!). When I’m not doing any of those things, I can be found in my kitchen chopping vegetables or making porridge (hope my wife doesn’t read this, either!). 

I was born in 1962 and my pant size is a very respectable 32-inches (did I mention that?).

Comments

[jT.]

Hi Craig,

Thanks for stopping over on my blog...your story is very inspiring for sure.

It's so awesome to see others who have been successful in reducing their weight and living a healthier lifestyle. Cheers to you brother! =)

Take care!