Inspired by SweetHomicidalQueen’s MyTake here. Well, it might be a rip-off but I am a different person than her, so maybe not exactly a rip-off.
Let’s begin…
0-6 years old: Not much that I remember from those years, except from the cartoons I used to watch on our Video set (In VHS tapes! I wonder where do we have them right now?). I was more like the pet of the family by then, and I don’t want to go back to those years. Why? Imagine if I lost my mom when we walked on the street hand-in-hand. Or something happened to my dad and never returned to his car (he used to leave me into the car, when he wanted to buy something, then return). You cannot find your way home as a toddler, so someone else would pick you up, and only God knows where I would be now, and if I ever met my real parents again.
My point is, being a toddler you are just like a pet. Technically you cannot do anything on your own, even your basic needs (eat, drink, use the toilet properly, etc.). Sure everyone was a toddler once, but I would rather not experience those years again.
6-7 years old: Well, those are the years when you start to be…you. Slowly-slowly of course. I was raised with my grandmother during my first grade of school, because my mom was away of the city, and my dad too busy with work. It was the year when I started to gain weight, since my grandma used to feed me with pizza almost every night.
7-8 years old: Back with my parents again, in a brand new home, and not in a rented flat this time. It was also the time when I started gaming seriously (my dad bought me a Playstation). I played Tetris before, but this time I went deeper into the gaming culture, since I started buying Magazines, games, and such stuff. To be honest I regret of being a gamer from such an early age, but it was my only getaway by the time.
8-9 years old: This was the time (~1999), when I watched for the first time a certain anime called “Pokemon” on my TV. I liked it, so I kept watching it every time it was broadcasted in my country. Nobody knew at the moment, that just months later Pokemon would be a mega phenomenon. Pokemon Stickers, Tazos, Trading Cards, etc. Well, how Pokemon affected my life someone might ask? If you keep reading you will understand.
9-10 years old: And here we are when Pokemon games (Red, Blue, Yellow, and later Gold and Silver) were all the sh*t. Everyone was stuck on them (all the boys from my class at least), and nobody’s going anywhere without his Game Boy. It was also a time I regret food-wise since I wasn’t minding what I was eating, so I became an obese kid. The damage was done since the first grade in school, but now three years later, the problem became more visible. It took years to get rid of it, but thankfully it belongs to the past right now. But this is a story for another time. Also it was the first time I used the internet. Nobody could believe how fast internet would be the following decade, right?
10-12 years old: During those two years, my first attempt to lose weight occurred. I signed up to a gym, and all I did was using the treadmill. I became sick of it, and started to hate the gym as an environment. So it was an unsuccessful attempt. To be honest, I wish I could lose my weight earlier, so bullying would be less in school. But anyway weight is lost as I’m speaking now, and believe it or not, I weigh less now than I used to weigh when I was 12!
12-13 years old: This is the year the most drastic change in my life occurred. My dad died from a heart attack. I can’t imagine how my life would be if he was still alive, and where I would be now, but I assume it would be totally different for sure.
13-14 years old: Trying to overcome my father’s passing. I managed to pull it through via the video-games. Bad thing actually, since I didn’t socialize as much as I wanted. Also those were the years when bullying became more dominant, because I was still obese and this might have not been the actual reason, but they were using it more like an excuse to insult. I believe the actual reason was that I was a loner by then. Something I heavily regret.
14-16 years old: And when I turned 14 I decided to give up gaming and focus on the internet instead. I found it a better gateway by the time since I was talking to other people. I didn’t like school and the people there by the time, so I would rather talk to others online, and actually I enjoyed it more because I pretended to be someone else. Guess I didn’t like who I was by the time, so I wanted to change.
16-18 years old: During those years I made my first and also successful attempt to lose some amount of my weight. This time I didn’t go to the gym, but I just consulted a nutritionist, and followed a certain diet. I didn’t become as skinny as I am now, by the time. But still I wasn’t obese anymore, so when I turned 18, I have gone from the obese to the chubby realm (from ~250 lbs (112.5 kg) dropped to ~180 lbs (81 kg), at least. Also another good thing happened is, that bullying has been toned down, and I became more acceptable with people in my school. I became more talkable myself too. I wasn’t so shy and loner anymore, but still I was at the shyer side generally. I’d say it was the start becoming more open.
18-20 years old: Unfortunately I lost track on my weight loss journey, and gained half –and something- of my lost weight (from 180 lbs (81 kg) back to 220 lbs (99 kg)). I learned something about it actually. Having a nutritionist isn’t helpful at all. The best is to do it yourself. That’s what I did after some point, and results haven’t failed me so far. Another notable thing during this period is, that I started to become even more open than my school years, and finally I managed to hit on a girl, even if I wasn’t successful. Still it was a big step for me.
20-21 years old: And here I made the biggest mistake of my life. I started gaming again actively. That fact destroyed my more confident self and brought me back to the basics since I cared more about gaming than going out. On the good side I lost even more weight, keeping myself at 160-165 lbs throughout 2012.
21-24 years old: My journey of losing even more weight was highly successful this time. At 22 I reached 120 lbs and kept myself between 110-120 lbs since then. But gaming consumed my life during those years. Well, console gaming to be exact, which is the worst form of gaming, and something that people should never touch. I view it as a drug. It’s addictive indeed, but really dangerous once you are into it.
24-25 years old: Remember what I said in my previous MyTake about Pokemon franchise? As you all know, last summer Pokemon GO was THE global phenomenon. I bought an Android phone, just for the sake of playing Pokemon GO. This made me give up console gaming once and for all, and Pokemon GO was a great excuse to go out. I have never stopped playing since last July, and being more hours out made me more confident than ever. Of course this helped me getting the hang of hitting on girls. Back in the day (~2010) it was a special event to hit on a girl, but nowadays it happens almost on a daily basis, and I’m really proud about it! Success is questionable, but…nobody’s perfect.
In conclusion: Now I am what I never was during my school years. If one day some reunion party with my old classmates occur, then I’ll go and show them off what I am now. I am not a heavy facebook user myself, but I stalk their profiles once in a while to be honest. They don’t know it of course. And some of them have packed their pounds. I wonder how would it feel, once this occurs…the guy who used to be made fun of his weight, now is skinnier than them. It hurts I know, but…it’s the truth.
Anyway, it seems like a part of my introvert self still exists. Only a shy introvert would write this big essay. I feel a little bit guilty now to be honest. But guess what? When you are bored your creative juices are flowing.
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