Welcome to Tony Layne’s Project Nemesis: The Blog! Oddly enough, I started the Project Nemesis Facebook page before I started this blog. The Facebook page was a whim; I asked my friends if it was a good idea and some said Yes. The blog was Facebook’s idea. I began my writing avocation as a blogger, so it’s nothing new to me.
So what is Project Nemesis?
First and foremost, it’s an obesity recovery program. It’s not a “diet.” The weight not only has to come off but stay off. This means getting rid of the bad habits and the emotional associations that led to my obesity, essentially reprogramming my mind and emotions to live a healthier lifestyle. I can’t stop once I reach my goal weight; I can only shift into “maintenance mode.” This has to be the way I live for the rest of my life.
Second, it’s a video project. As I lose weight, I take front and profile pictures of myself to build into a .mp4 file dramatizing my physical shrinkage. I also hope to include short video clips at highlight points; tentatively, I have planned to shoot a video when the weight loss forces me to buy pants with smaller waists, probably somewhere between 265 and 250 lbs. When it’s completed, I want to publish it in the hopes that other people will be inspired and encouraged to make similar changes.
Third, it’s a social media platform for my family and friends, not only so they can follow me and cheer me on, but also so those who are in the midst of their own struggles with weight loss can share their successes, their tips, their concerns, and their obstacles. While I may let an occasional religious thought or reference slip, it’s not a religious or political blog. I don’t care what race, ethnicity, religion, sex, orientation, or political affiliation you are — God didn’t put me on this earth to judge you but rather to help and be helped by you.
What should I expect from this blog?
First, this blog will function as a kind of online diary or journal of my recovery from obesity. On the one hand, because the blog is “open to the public,” as it were, don’t expect a lot of gruesome details or juicy, scandalous tidbits. On the other hand, as a Catholic writer and apologist, I’ve found that the Internet enables the malicious to destroy or coerce into silence even obscure writers/speakers whose private lives are at variance with their public personae. This fact perversely forces accountability on me: I have to be in public the person I am in private. So don’t expect me to present myself as a saint or a hero — I am neither.
If [my] story were to have a moral, then I would say: “Just name a hero and I’ll prove he’s a bum.”—Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, Baa Baa Black Sheep
Second, while I realize the Internet already has plenty of food and cooking blogs, I hope to include some printable recipes of healthy (and perhaps the occasional not-so-healthy) dishes I’ve tried and enjoy. I’ve come to realize that the meals which pose the greatest threat to the obese are “comfort foods” — the foods we grew up eating, which are usually higher in calories, fat, and all the other nasty stuff. If there’s a way to prepare them that will cut down the nasties, I’ll share them. Otherwise, I recommend saving items like chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes with gravy for very special (and infrequent) occasions and completely ditching crap food like chili cheese fries.
What should I not expect from this blog?
One thing about food blogs that drive me nuts: So many of them are loaded down by large, mostly unnecessary photos of the dishes shot from different angles and in different stages of preparation, not to mention the obligatory fast-motion video clip of the dish being prepared. (Thanks a lot, Delish!) As far as I’m concerned, if you have one good shot of the finished product, that’s all you really need. If keeping down the number of photos kills my SEO score, so be it … I’m sure at least your browser will thank me for it.
Another thing you shouldn’t expect from this blog: specialized advice for the transgendered/transsexual and the intersexed. I’m not a doctor; so if you’re transgender or transsexual, I can’t tell you how the hormonal therapy used in gender reassignment will affect your weight-loss program. Nor can I speak to variances that affect people with intersex genetic disorders. As with any weight-loss program, you should consult the appropriate doctor(s).
Having said that, however, biology does matter. Your body doesn’t care how you identify or what your ideology demands; it only reacts to how you treat or mistreat yourself. I don’t say this to be mean or hateful or dogmatic. As I said, I’m not here to judge you as a person but to help you with your weight struggles; cisgender or transgender, I’ll still root for you. Nevertheless, the only way to succeed with a weight-loss program is to be completely honest with yourself, even if it means accepting uncomfortable and unwelcome facts. So in structuring your weight-loss program, I strongly urge you to respect and take into account the sexual genotype with which you were born rather than that with which you identify.
Final thoughts
As I’ve said before, this isn’t a blog about religion or religious topics. However, as a Catholic, I believe truly transformative life changes can’t come without the grace of God, Who wants us to cherish and respect ourselves as His beloved creatures. So I’ve chosen St. Charles Borromeo, the patron of stomach ailments, to be the patron of this project and dedicated this blog to the memory of G. K. Chesterton, whose obesity didn’t prevent him from being a powerful and influential witness for the faith. But whatever your religious beliefs (or disbeliefs), your prayers and good thoughts are all welcome.
Peace be with you.—TL
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