Fat reenactors. We must be stopped.

[Gesetz]

We have a guy in the KG who used to post here quite a bit, DarExc, he was very overweight and stopped drinking everything except water. Started walking everynight before going to bed and increased the distance and tempo when he became comfortable. He is not the same man today, he was 4 years when I met him.

Sarge: unrelated, but I hope when you jump with pistols under your smock they're attached somehow (more than just a holster, having the actual item in question on a bit of string). I've seen items fall from the sky due to jumpers stupidity, a camera for example who landed on a plastic jerry can and actually managed to break the jerry can. Safety before cool factor.

[Trench_Raider]

Ah the old "fat reenactor" topic that pops up from time to time. As others have noted, at least this one has not degenerated into a flame war yet.

I'll repost something I said last year when this popped up. In it's original context, I posted this in reply to a thread about that now infamous article that featured the photo of the heavily overweight SS reenactor.

I'm extremely torn on this subject and thread. (and the actual subject of the article that the photo in question was illistrating...but that's a whole other subject) Yes, this guy does indeed look pretty silly in SS kit. But in his defence, it has been my experience that the fit of a camo smock helps to hide one's weight better than other uniforms. Had this poor sap been in a wool or HBT blouse he would have looked even worse.

You see, I have a confession to make. I'm one of those fat reeenacters that everyone hates so much. I'm about 75 pounds overweight for my height and frame. It's something I'm not proud of, but it's my reality. I just got back into the hobby this last year after being out of it for over ten. One of the reasons I left the hobby was that I had piled alot of weight on (a fairly sedintary job, a taste for fatty foods, and an adversion to exercise will do that) and found that I looked rediculous in uniform....and getting aornd in the field could be difficult. Even at my top weight, however I was not as heavy as the guy in the photo.

But I'm doing something about this.

Over the last year or so, I lost about 80 pounds. I still have that 75 or so to loose, but something I rewarded myself with for getting that much of the job done was to get back into the hobby last August. I still look silly in a uniform, but no were near what it would have been had I not done what I have to this point. I'll let you be the judge of how I look now and how much I have to go yet to be in "fighting trim":
http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a114/ ... kooble.jpg
(and no, that is not my awful farby modified VW thing in the background! )

My primary impression these days is in keeping with my age (I'm in my late '30s and balding) and lack of physical fittness: Heer soldier in a volksgrenadier unit. But to be honest I think I actually look better in my SS kit because as I stated before the loose fitting smock helps to hide the weight...as long as I don't wear my helmet with the chin strap down! (the chin strap accents the double chin )

Anyway, there is alot of hostility toward overweight reenactors both on these forums and out in the real world. Some of it is for very legitimate reasons, for example the very real safety issue. For example at an event a few months ago we had a bad scare when a heavy guy who was wearing a seasonally inapropriate uniform and had a history of heart trouble fell out from the heat. Some of the other criticism is not as pressing, but still has some validity. This includes authenticity concerns in regards to fat guys, especially as concerning their being in "elite" units like Waffen SS, FJs, and Ami airborn units. But at the same time, this can be overstated as well. As others have pointed out, despite how hard we try, we will never be 100% correct. Finally, there is some critism that is simply based upon elitism and is symtomatic of how overweight people are treated in our society.

But you know what, seeing all of this criticism (even if not directed at me) is actually helpful to me, as it's a motivator. I don't want people snickering at me behind my back any more than anyone else does. Aside from that, loosing weight increases my health and improves my field effectiveness. To that end, I've started the next phase of my own weight loss plan. I'm back to watching what I eat very carefully, I'm attending Weight Watchers meetings again, and I'm hitting the gym four times a week. And it's working. I've lost six pounds in the last seven days. Hopefully, by this time next year I'll be back close to were I should be.

See? Intolerance and ridicule can be helpful at times!

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now.

"Trench Raider"

TR

[Aufaffe]

But you know what, seeing all of this criticism (even if not directed at me) is actually helpful to me, as it's a motivator. I don't want people snickering at me behind my back any more than anyone else does. Aside from that, loosing weight increases my health and improves my field effectiveness. To that end, I've started the next phase of my own weight loss plan. I'm back to watching what I eat very carefully, I'm attending Weight Watchers meetings again, and I'm hitting the gym four times a week. And it's working. I've lost six pounds in the last seven days. Hopefully, by this time next year I'll be back close to were I should be.

Thanks for reposting that. I had not read it before.

The reason I made my post on this in the first place and showed a before and after pic of myself was to let everyone know that I was not calling the kettle black.I was trying to motivate not ostracize.

The guy who's quote lay above my text here deserves a sound congratulations.

Good Job man and Keep going!

Marek.

[StigRoadie]

It's mostly good ideas and good advice. There is one fallacy that has cropped up a couple of times. It's the dont eat late or just before bed cos you'll get fat fallacy. It is rubbish. Talk to a doctor, some one with real qualifications.

[Zoring]

I will happily believe that eating before bed isn't actually worse for your digestion.

However the main problem with that is, you will almost always get something fast, greasy or fattening. If you get take out nothing but bad places are open at night, and if you eat at home you arent fussing around preparing a proper meal, so it ends up far worse.

[Dieter]

It's mostly good ideas and good advice. There is one fallacy that has cropped up a couple of times. It's the dont eat late or just before bed cos you'll get fat fallacy. It is rubbish. Talk to a doctor, some one with real qualifications.

Actually, you will more than likely just get some very bizarre dreams, depending on what you eat.

[JagerRoll]

I think the issue goes beyond reenacting. I went from 265 to 220 not for a better impression but for a better self. Going from "food for comfort" to "just enough until your full" is a big challenge that takes a lot of willpower.

Tim
http://www.fjr3.com

[FJdrewb]

It's mostly good ideas and good advice. There is one fallacy that has cropped up a couple of times. It's the dont eat late or just before bed cos you'll get fat fallacy. It is rubbish. Talk to a doctor, some one with real qualifications.

When you eat right before bed, you don't burn any extra calories. When you have a few hours to move about and do something you start to burn some of those. You just don't use a lot of calories sleeping. So they will get stored and packed away.

[StigRoadie]

Only going with the science;
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WS ... HMSContent

"Although scientific studies someday may prove that calories ingested before bed are handled differently than calories ingested at other times, evidence for this commonly held belief is lacking. For now, it's safe to assume that one's weight reflects the balance between calories burned and calories consumed over time, regardless of when you choose to eat."

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index ... 140AAIiX86

"why any one ever believed it is beyond me...recent research has confirmed it is nonsense, the time of day has nothing to do with weight gain."

[Sarge]

I fully agree about the comment to quit drinking sodas of all varieties. Don't need to do so totaly, but cut if back by 80% or better and you will be astonded at the results! When they told me I was diabetic I made several changes in my eating habbits, one of which was I almost totaly quit drinking sodas. I lost 25# within a few months.

As to the comment about carrying a pistol in something other than a holster when jumping - WHAT do you reccomend? It would seem that this practice was proven by Germany, England & the US in WW 2 so what do you have that is better???
I made 5 jumps in Viet Nam with a pistol in a military holster And have made 6 or 7 dressed as Fallschirmjäger. I have Never lost a pistol nor have I ever heard of anyone else who has! I have on the other hand lost a helmet and know of several others who have also done so on a jump. A hard opening (probably poor body position on exit) or a malfunction is normaly the cause of this. Mine was a hard opening.
Sarge

[Gesetz]

I wasn't saying a holster is a bad idea, just suggesting that the pistol is on a lanyard, in the unfortunate event that something could happen in which it would fall out, for what ever odd reason. Although unlikely, it is possible. Seeing as you're a jumper, you surely have witnessed marvelously strange things that can happen under canopy!
Just my 2 cents, from one jumper to another.

[finnguy]

I have a problem in the winter. I put on 5-10 pounds in the winter because I am less active. I hate going to the gym. Any suggestions for outdoor winter exercise?

[GD,grenedier]

Yea,shoveling snow

[bruno.reinhold]

eat less - like a single portion for a single meal. if you dont move around alot, eat 2 meals a day instead of 3 heaping farmhand meals. stop eating candy and snacks - eat one apple instead. dont drink soda, drink cold water. dont eat garbage late at night, eat a grapefruit instead. I lost apx. 50 lbs - from a size 40 pants -tight- down to 34. that was a year ago and I've stabilized at around 195 for those 12 months. your metabloism will actually modify itself if you give it the chance.
now, if only I could improve my German.

[Ingsoc75]

Every night after dinner put on your full kit (minus the weapon) and walk a couple of miles around the neighborhood.