A Fat Guy's Take on Fat Princess
By Jason Wilson in psn, Fat Princess on Aug 3, 2009
I know about the uproar generated by some over Fat Princess, the new downloadable capture-the-flag game for the PlayStation Network. I've even given this uproar a thought or two, too.
You see, I'm a fat guy. I've been a fat guy for years. And while I still have some of those strong muscles of my younger days, days when it took six guys to hold me down, my girth is by far more flab than flex. And considering that I generally regain some, if not all, of the weight that I do lose when I decide it's time to shed some pounds, I suspect that I'll be a fat guy in my future, too.
As a fat guy, does one of Fat Princess's key game mechanics -- feeding little princesses cake until they start looking like The Blob -- bother me?
Some have labeled Fat Princess as offensive. Others have called it mean. Some point out that fat folks are one of the last groups that are safe to ridicule. Hell, I even laughed at fat jokes -- while a 3X shirt hangs in my closet.
People who know me have never heard me whine about being fat, get upset about fat jokes, or complain about how today's food industry crams ungodly portions of empty calories down America's pie hole. I may not care what others think about my weight. But I care what I think about it.
And I hate it.
I've hated it for years, and yet, I can never seem to get past that unproductive, pathetic self-loathing. Sure, I've had times where I've been able to drop weight -- most recently, I lost 50 pounds after starting work at my former job as the copy chief of Ziff Davis Media in 2006. But I've gained almost 20 of those pounds back, and at this rate, the other 30 will join them.
You see, like the princesses in Fat Princess, I comfort eat. I know that feeding the princesses cake is a game mechanic, but I see their desire for cake as a response to the struggle around them. And I understand that. If someone was trying to kidnap me, I'd eat, too! When I'm dealing with negative emotions, I eat, using food (frequently cake!) to bury those emotions down my gullet.
My weight is a lifetime's accumulation of anger, despair, guilt, pain, sadness, and stress.
Now that I've finally admitted this to others -- and myself -- can I continue to cram cake down the poor princesses' throats? I'm not sure. Maybe I can change the goal, rescuing the princess as quickly as possible before other players make them too fat. Maybe I can even stop other players from making the princesses fat.
Or since the princesses are just pixels on a screen, maybe I shouldn't worry about them and focus that worry into making myself thin and have fun with the game. After all, it's my responsibility, not the gamemaker's, to lose my weight and feel better about myself.
Comments (26)
Now that I've finally admitted this to others -- any myself --
*gasp*
Is that a typ-o?! In a former copy editor's piece?!
I've been overweight most of my life, and I've always been very subconscious about my looks. Not just my weight, but how I look in general (which would probably explain where my anxiety problems come from). I used to beat myself up mentally when I looked in the mirror -- how my hair was always messy, how my eyebrows were too thick, how my teeth weren't perfect, how my nose might be crooked, everything. It all piles on and just gets you feeling so down, and then you stop caring about it because you're "ugly" and will always be "ugly," and that's that.
Luckily, I managed to drop from 196 pounds down to 165, and I'm working on dropping that down to the 150s so I can get a healthy weight for my current height. I definitely feel better about myself now that I'm lighter, but during the last few months I've realized that I'm happy with who I am, regardless of how much my belly may pop out. I still want to improve, of course, and everyone should strive to be healthy, but when I look in the mirror I'm okay, even happy, with how I look. I see me, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
So, good luck with losing weight, and I'm sure you'll succeed. But be happy with yourself along the way to your goal, because you are you, and that's a pretty darn amazing thing.
This game doesn't offend me at all, but, then again, little does.
Though the idea of a DS game making me lose weight is too awesome so I tell people that's how it happened
Personally, I lost 65 lbs, 35 on the South Beach Diet, the rest on blood, sweat and exercise. Part of it was getting myself too love food that was healthy and crave it (hummus, tofu, and veggie soup). Another part was making exercise habitual, to where I felt something was missing if I didn't spend 40-60 minutes heaving weights. The last part was just progress: exercise felt like irredeemable godless torture when I was fat and it feels exhilarating and satisfying now that I'm thin.
And here's hoping the next time you take it off, it stays off.
@everyone Thank you for all the comments, encouragement, and kind words!
I will make you a deal...If you start trying to lose weight, I will try giving up smoking....um...I will give up smoking cigarettes that is....deal?
Outside of Bitmob, where else would you find a post like this.
Really though, most diets are something people find they're ashamed of- or they constantly feel they need a break and so they 'cheat'. I consider keeping vegitarian to be as much an accomplishment as the weight lost which helps keep me motivated.
End sales pitch.
If you ever study how evolution plays into people being overweight you realize man/woman hasn't adjusted to having limitless food available. It is a tough fight, especially with those cursed with the wrong genes. I wish I could give you better advice than just to keep battling even though the deck is stacked against you. However, as you know life isn't fair.
Put yourself in new situations, surround yourself with encouraging people, and give it the fight of your life! You can do it!
Give it a shot and document it here on Bitmob, maybe tie in some of those hip new fitness games for the Wii. I'm sure the community would love to read about it.