So my wife and I are standing in line to buy t-shirts at the Steven Curtis Chapman concert.  They have all of the t-shirts displayed and the sizes.  Of course, the largest size they have is a 2X.  That’s not big enough!  I can fit into a 3X but I’m more comfortable in a 4X.  I’m a big fella, weighing in at 344 pounds.  I’ve got what doctors like to call an “eating problem”.  Anyway, I have a choice to make standing here in line… do I pass on a shirt because they don’t have my size OR do I buy a 2X hoping that one day I will fit into it?

One thing I will confess is that I’m totally frustrated with buying t-shirts and have been for several years after I got heavier.  I love to wear t-shirts!  I wouldn’t doubt at all that once I get to heaven that we’ll all be wearing white t-shirts under the white robes everyone will have on.  (And tighty whities also!  LOL!)  I just think they are more comfortable than most shirts and you can find some with clever sayings or jokes that reflect your personality.  The only problem is, if you’re heavy it’s hard to find t-shirts in your size.  Most manufacturers only go as big as a 2X, so I’ve had to miss out on many opportunities to buy some great t-shirts.  It would be easy for me to say that clothing manufacturers are discriminating against tubby folks, but instead I choose to point back at myself.  It’s my fault that I can’t have some great shirts.

For example, this past summer I went to a Journey concert with some dear friends from high school and was excited to be able to buy a Journey concert t-shirt.  When I was in high school, my family didn’t have a lot of money to allow me to go to concerts so I was thrilled to be able to go to the concert and was even more thrilled to get a t-shirt.  I was always a little envious of kids who came to school the next day with concert t-shirts and talking about the concerts they saw the night before.  Now as an adult, I was finally getting to go, but when I finally got up to the counter to buy the shirt I wanted… 2X is the largest size they have.  I bought one.  It was sad.

So here I am in line with my wife at the t-shirt table again in the same delima… should I buy a shirt I can’t fit into again?  That’s pretty stupid, right?  So as thoughts are racing through my mind, I decided to draw a virtual line in the sand.  I want cool t-shirts!  If a 2X is all I can get, then I’m going to adjust myself to fit comfortably in a 2X.  I’m not sure how much weight I need to lose to win at this, but I know by next summer (2012), I want to fit comfortably into a 2X.  Every journey starts with a first step, so this is mine.  I’m going to try and document steps along the path using photos of my fatness, cool t-shirts I’m missing out on, and any progress I make along the way.  I’ve recently read that in order for a vision to become reality you have to write out goals to work toward.  I only have one:

• I want to comfortably fit into a 2X t-shirt by the summer (June 1st) of 2012.  Heck, I want to fit into multiple 2X t-shirts by then!

I will celebrate by wearing the Steven Curtis Chapman concert t-shirt I purchased in line (pictured in the banner picture).  I will also be wearing a smile. 

Current Weight: 344 lbs.

Thanks and God Bless,

balooken