Pre-Diet Weight, Measurements and *gulp* Photos

Okay, so this will be an exercise in self-humiliation. Look, I realize I'm overweight, but when you see those anonymous "fat people b-roll" on television news programs, you never think that it could be you they're showing walking down the sidewalk. "I'm not THAT fat, am I," you ask your partner or other loved ones. Tonight, as I completed my enrollment in Somae Health and began setting up my online profile for tracking, I had to take pictures of myself and take measurements of every type.

A few observations before I lay it all out for you (and a little warning in case you want to avoid the shirtless pictures below):

• I have gained a LOT of weight. I guess that when we look at ourselves in a mirror, even if we do realize that we're gaining weight, we only see one or two parts of our body at a time. However, when you have to take a full-length picture of your back...wow!

• Men and women have different definitions of "waist", but most men definitely don't wear their pants on their TRUE waist. I'm not talking about the young guys who let their pants hang down to their knees on purpose, but I wear a 44" pant--while my actual waist measures more than 10" larger than that.

So here are the vital statistics, my "intake" numbers, my starting point...

Neck: 19.5"
Chest: 51.0"
Waist: 54.5"
Hips: 48.5"
Rt. Thigh: 28"
Lt. Thigh: 28"
Rt. Upper Arm: 19.5"
Lt. Upper Arm: 19.0"
Height: 68" (5'8")
Weight: 274.6 lbs
Body Mass Index (BMI): 41.7

And now for my "before" photos...