I am Iron Man

Have you seen the trailer for the new Iron Man movie? It looks wicked awesome and I can't wait to see it. My birthay is in May, so I'll probably drag my wife off to see it.



So what does that have to do with weight loss and fitness? Well, apparently a lot of men my age have a superhero complex that keeps them from visiting the doctor regularly. I don't hesitate to go to the doctor when I'm sick, but I don't go when I'm healthy. The last time I was really sick, I had a leg infection and I ended up going to the doctor every few days for a month until we found the right antibiotic. After that, I think I had enough of going to the doctor for awhile.

But, I do want to schedule a physical later this year. The guys who wrote You: Staying Young recommend a number of vaccines and tests and detail how often you should get them from your doctor. According to their list, I'm due for a tetanus shot and cholesterol tests. I plan to get the cholesterol tests done soon since I'm losing weight and eating a lot of fat, but I'll be honest -- I don't want to go to the doctor right now.

Last time I was there, I was so sick I hadn't eaten for days and I was down to 405lbs. Once I got healthy, I shot back up in weight but now I feel like I haven't lost much in their eyes. If I go there and tell them I'm losing weight, they won't know just how serious I am. Apparently, I want some praise from my doctor and not another "talk" about my weight. I've heard it all from my doctors over the years -- from "it is just baby fat, don't worry" to "here, take this pill" to "you're hopeless, get bypass surgery."