My Struggle And Challenge To Waterford

I’m normally not the type of editor who writes a lot of columns. But I wanted to do one today about a medical condition I’ve been struggling with over the past year or so, called FFS, or Fat Face Syndrome.

The causes of my FFS are numerous, from extended sitting to celebrating each Giant win and loss in the exact same fashion: with a half dozen beers and as many chicken wings as I can handle. But really, when I look back at it, the real cause of my FFS is a career change five years ago.

In 2007 and the 10 years before, I worked for my father at Petrone Construction, where my duties included lifting heavy objects, swinging hammers repeatedly and the transportation of wood by foot. I really hated the job, hated the low pay and was no good at it, but there were two benefits: I loved the people I worked with, and I got in killer shape.

Around 2008, I got smart and decided I didn’t want to make a living carrying 100-pound concrete forms for the rest of my life and other acts of brazen idiocy. Instead, I would just write about acts of brazen idiocy, and spend my days drinking coffee, typing away on a computer and meeting new and interesting people.

The idea worked pretty well, as I started my career in journalism, which I love and am good at. To me, there were and are almost no downfalls to the job, aside from a severe case of FFS.

In 2008, I weighed 180 pounds, much of which was muscle. By October  2011, on my 27th birthday, I had ballooned up to 210 pounds, much of which is fat crammed around my face.

I realized I had to do something. Not only did I resemble Mr. Potato Head, but I was also lazy, generally crabby and there was a good chance that 210 would go up to 250 pretty quickly. My old favorite hobbies were playing sports, dating girls and staying active. My new favorite hobbies were watching people play sports, watching people date on television and eating.

So, I began to try a variety of exercises to get in shape, all of which were failures. All of them were so extreme, and I would do them for a week or two before finding any reason to go back to my sedentary lifestyle. Two months passed, and I still had that unmistakable pumpkin head.

So finally I realized I needed to do some exercise that I could tolerate enough to motivate myself every day. I began walking, which is really pretty easy. I mean it was hard for me to justify not walking. I also began to eat healthier, focusing on whole grains and cutting out almost all sugar.

In the middle of January, I weighed myself and I had lost 10 pounds, getting down to a slightly less lumpy 200. Still, I am still quite a bit away from my goal of 180 pounds.

The Point?

I’m writing this today because from what I’ve seen, I’m not the only one fighting FFS. And while I joked about it as a medical condition at the top of this column, FFS probably kills more Americans than any other disorder around.

So I want us to fight FFS together, as a community. I would bet if I asked, nearly every person would say they would like to lose at least five pounds, and probably closer to 15 or 20. I think the only way we can do it is if we work together, and lose weight as a community.

I hope people write in about their own experiences losing weight. At Patch we can set you up to blog or post announcements about your struggle with FFS, and what you are doing about it (e-mail me at paul.petrone@patch.com to get set up). Together, I think we can motivate each other, and create a more healthy, more happy and more active community.

I am even so brazen to lay out a goal: I want Waterford to lose 1,000 pounds in three months. I’ve already penciled myself in for 10. What will you sign up for?