JimGetsSlim.com

First off I would like to apologize for my absence, I haven’t posted since February 14th.  These annoying things called life, career, Kerry Washington stalking, and MBA applications got in the way of my updating the sight as frequently as I would like. However, that is all in the past and I can now continue with the regularly scheduled program.

This is like the bat signal for fat people.

So as you may have guessed by the title of this post I am back in school at Duke getting my MBA.  Despite hating reading and math, I’m pretty sure it will be much better than spending another year in public accounting.

Don’t Worry Terp Fans. Duke may pay me but Maryland raised me!

 Attending Duke presents a couple of unique opportunities for myself. The three most important ones as I see it are:

 1. To really expand the content and offerings of jimgetsslim.com and  put my personal trainer talents to good use and integrate that with the website. Hopefully if time permits we can see more videos (sorry guys Susan doesn’t live in Durham)

2. A chance to do college a bit differently. The last time I went to college I gained the freshman 50 (not fifteen) and I probably went to class about as frequently as a solar eclipse. I’m going to try and do things a little bit differently and try to balance going to class and being an ass. Hopefully this time around, I can lose weight and not add it.

3. Develop as a leader. For some reason people have always identified me as a leader. Though for the most part I have shied away from that role for a couple of reasons. Leadership often involves politics, and for the most part I hate politics. Second, I hate taking responsibility for the success of others. Often times I find that those who aspire to be leaders seldom understand the consequences of leadership. Leadership is more than a title its a lifestyle. Finally, being a clown is way easier than being Mr. Serious all the time.

Now that I have sufficiently bored you guys enough. I just want to say to look for more interesting articles, and tidbits in the coming weeks as I get back into the groove of blogging…

Cupid doesnt have arrows this big...

February 14th, marks the annual celebration of the St. Valentines Holiday. Apparently he was some martyr back during the Roman Empire. I really dont care and its not pertinent to the subject of this post I just felt like throwing it in there. As millions of America spend time with their significant others tomorrow, many others will be all alone curled up in their snuggies, watchhing the Notebook, chogging down ice cream, while crying their little hearts away. Other Americans will be trying to find love in a bar, and instead finding a painful yet curable venereal disease. However I digress, again.

Love isnt dead, just deeply wounded...

If you find yourself all alone this Valentines Day, it is a perfect opportunity to love yourself, and get into the best physical condition that you can. I truly believe that if you love yourself you will take care of your body and stay in shape. When you take the time to invest in your well-being others will be more likely to take the time to invest in you. None of this Oprah Winfrey loving your curves and rolls nonsense. Love yourself for who you are but strive to be better.

Loving yourself starts with admitting you have a problem. No you don’t have a thyroid, problem and no you’re not big boned, you just lack discipline and focus. Learn to take the weight loss journey one day at a time, Rome wasnt built in a day and neither is a perfectly sculpted body. Start by planning out your meals, counting calories, becoming dedicated to working out frequently, and see if the pounds don’t fly off. So I encourage all of you looking to find love on Valentines Day to look inside and love yourself first, because only then will you be able to love yourself. Or at least that’s what I heard on an after school special.

As for me I will be spending my Valentines day with my boos Kerry Washington and Charlize Theron…

First of all I would like to apologize for my absence, I’ve been busy with work and other things in life. I recently commented to a friend who is a medical student, that my weight fluctuates like crazy. She told me that even though I had lost weight, my body was still prone to gaining and losing weight quickly because I was a chubby charlie as a kid.

Me and My Cousin at age 8

Childhood obesity is a dangerous epidemic for a variety of reasons. Children who are obese tend to be more prone to diabetes, heart disease, and a variety of other chronic diseases. But perhaps more shocking is the fact that childhood obesity leads to obese adults.  How does this happen? Fat Cells!

Fat Cells Go To Hell

Fat cells are tricky little buggers, you see they multiply during puberty but unfortunately they don’t die or decrease as you lose weight. Fat cells generally do not generate after puberty, as your body stores fat the cells only get bigger. Instead they shrink in size waiting in the darkness for extra calories to feed on so they can expand. There are exceptions to this though. If an adult gains a significant amount of weight, the  body may produce more fat cells, or lets say the person has liposuction the body will produce more fat cells to supplement the lost ones. That explains why people often gain back the weight after liposuction.

Childhood obesity is not a temporary problem its a lifelong problem, that requires one to be consistently vigilant. That’s why its important for children to get enough exercise and a proper diet in order to prevent childhood obesity. This revelation has inspired me to to donate time and money to organizations focused on preventing childhood obesity through exercise and proper nutrition.

Uncle Phil bought that shirt from Big, Big, & Tall

One of the hardest thing about losing weight, is learning how to find clothes that fit your new hot body. I remember when I first started re-tooling my warddrobe, after losing my weight. I had to lose the baggy jeans and oversized shirts for more form fitting clothes.

Wearing Polo attracts all the hot girls...

In order to properly put together my new wardrobe I visted a tailor and got my official measurements. I remember the shock I had when I was told I was a 34.5″ waist. A year earlier I was a size 44″ waist and could barely see my chubber or my toes. With my newly found dimensions I set out to figure out what clothes fit me. 

A Denim Essential

I quickly learned that baggy jeans would no longer be acceptable, I found out I looked a lot better with straight leg and slim fit jeans. I dont do nut huggers, my balls are too big for that nonsense but there is a fine line between yeast inducing jeans and well fitting jeans. See below. Im too poor to buy expensive jeans but I find Gap and Levi’s denim to be suitable for my purposes, and I get complimented on my denim choices frequently…

As for shirts….

I quickly learned that I didnt work on the weapons of mass destruction known as my arms in order to hide them under oversized  shirts. Not to mention the my barrel like shests really couldnt be appreciated for the awesomeness that it was. So I set out to find form fitting shirts without the douchiness and middle america connotations of Ed Hardy, Affliction, etc. (I have never owned a single one of these graphic tees, and I thank God for that everyday.) I’m a simple dude, not big on flashy clothes or big names, prefer understated classiness. My mom instilled that on me its not who you wear but how you wear it.  A fat person with a $10,000 outfit will never look as good as a fit person with well fitting Wal-Mart gear. Im a big fan of vintage tees,  and casual button ups. Big fan of the stuff you can find at Banana Republic or The Gap,  10 deep, crooks and castles,  John Varvatos stuff if you want to spend a little bit more cash. Also you can never go wrong with a vintage college t-shirt and my all time favorite the v-neck white t-shirt simple but versatile.

It’s that time of year again, when lovebirds profess their love for each other for all the world to see. While a healthy couple shows their love for each other everyday, Valentine’s is a day where you go the extra mile to show your love for each other. If you have waited to the last minute to get a gift then here are few gift ideas you can get to a promote a healthy and fit lifestyle for you and your partner.

• Has your significant other started to gain weight?  Have they let themselves go? Don’t know how to tell them? Well a  full year gym membership is a good way to promote a healthy lifestyle change for your partner. Being in a relationship is no excuse to let oneself go. I see it too often, people settle down and they go from hottie to a nottie.   If they get offended then dump them, if they cant take the thoughtful gesture then your relationship is doomed anyway.

• Instead of chocolates and candies, try a fruit and veggies basket on for size. Be mindful that many fruits are full of sugar and can be just as bad as candy if not taken in moderation.  Remember that sugar tends to turn into fat if not used as energy, and stick around the belly area. Remember, If you really care about your significant other , you  wont buy candy.  Instead you’ll  get her fruits and veggies so they can maintain the shape you fell in love with. And if they’re  already a plumper perhaps getting fruits and veggies will put them on the right track to a healthy lifestyle.

• Many couples go out to eat and enjoy sedentary activities during this holiday of love. This year try to set up a date where the two of you can take a long romantic walk before or after your evening meal. That way you can burn off some calories, and enjoy a nice conversation before you head onto more intense activities for the night.* Nothing like a nice long intense walk to get the blood flowing.

These are just a few simple steps you can do to have a healthy Valentine’s day. Even if you don’t have a special someone, remember that you have to love yourself before you can love anyone else. Part of loving yourself is maintaining a fit, active, and healthy lifestyle. Happy Valentine’s Day!

* I do not condone pre-marital sex.

I’m a die hard Dallas Cowboys fan, and I saw a story on HBO real sports last night that made me nearly choke on my nightly dose of peanut butter. Nate Newton was a massive lineman for many years with the Dallas Cowboys. He as a monster of a man and now after a gastric lap band surgery, he has lost over 150 lbs and looks like a brand new person.

Not even the same person

Although he didn’t lose his weight the natural way his commitment to a healthy lifestyle is inspiring and one that should be followed. Way to go Big Nate! or is it Minute Newton now?

Check the interview out

It’s been a long time I’ve been busy with life. Making career, changes, life changes. I still hit the gym with the same vigor. Maintaining my weight for the most part. I could stand to lose like 10 pounds or so. I still workout as hard as ever but I dont eat as well as I should. I eat too much candy and chocolate. Still don’t eat bread or too many carbs but I could stand to cut down on the sweets.

Two years ago I was 5’11 320 lbs. A human bowling ball to speak. I was out of shape, un-athletic, and slowly killing myself. However, on this day two years ago I made a decision to change my lifestyle and get healthy. Today I am  5’11 215 lbs and as of last Friday, I had 11% body fat.   August 24th is sort of like my second birthday the day I chose to remodel myself. I am living proof that if you make up your mind to do something it can be done. I used no supplements, no gimmicks, just plain exercise and diet. If I can do it anyone can do it. I didn’t learn my left from my right till I was like in the 4th grade.

Losing weight and staying healthy is a marathon not a sprint. It does not happen over night, there are no quick solutions. It is something that you have to be persistent with and committed to.  I started this blog in the hopes that I would inspire people of all fitness levels to achieve their health goals. Nothing feels better than being in great health, not even Megan Fox.

A bumper sticker never looked so good on a Ferrari

Along my journey I have made a lot of new friends from the two gyms I visit and from random people who have found my blog and hit me up. I have also managed to learn that people tend to treat you differently when you go from “Fat Albert” to “Fifty Cent”  and I’ve learned to chuckle at it.  Anyone who tries to tell you that being out of shape or fat is okay doesn’t have your best interest at heart (looking at you Oprah). I’m not saying everyone is going to be “Angelina Jolie thin” but there is nothing cool about being obese or not being able to do average tasks without running out of breath. Loving yourself doesn’t mean accepting yourself as you are, it means recognizing who you are, realizing that you’re not perfect, but working hard to make yourself a better person day by day. Because if you really love yourself you’ll want to be the best person that you can be physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

Now that I’ve gotten that Dr. Phil spiel out back to the normal me. I try not to take myself so seriously, if anything I’m a clown and almost anything I say shouldn’t be taken seriously. So I encourage anyone that has any questions or needs fitness pointers to hit me up. I try to respond to all of them and for the most part I think I give decent advice.

My Brother, Olympic Great Michael Phelps...

I’ve been contemplating the idea of competing in a triathlon and I’ve always wanted to make swimming a consistent part of my workout. Swimming is a great cardiovascular exercise because it works your whole body without the wear and tear associated with running or playing sports like  basketball. Last night I decided to channel my inner Michael Phelps and see if I still had the mojo. Granted I haven’t swam in like 10 years or so but I figured swimming has to be one of those things that once you learn you never forget. Well I could not have been more wrong. Here are a list of things I experienced while swimming.

• I have to work a whole lot harder to swim now that I have more muscle mass
• Swimming is a very draining activity
• A lap is way longer than you think
• I can only swim about half a lap before I feel like my heart is about to burst.
• Some guys are way too comfortable naked around other guys.
• There are some things you can’t un-see
• Some stereotypes are very true

Like a very large fish in the water

Based on my observations, I think I’m going to make swimming part of my weekly workout. It’s quick and very effective. I swam 9 laps which I figure isn’t bad for someone who hasn’t swam laps in almost a decade.  Besides I figure I’m black I’m not supposed to be able to swim, right?

I have been meaning to do a logo for the site but time over the past year has not permitted me to. However, after recently passing the CPA exam,  I have more time to focus on the site and taking it to the next level. I would like to give a special thanks to the people over at www.thearthype.com. Specifically a Mr. Adedayo Kosoko for reaching out to me and introducing me to his services. If anyone needs a logo or artistic work, I highly recommend them. They were professional, prompt and budget friendly. The logo will be incorporated into the new design of the website and on future videos, and maybe even some merchandise (hint, hint).