About

Hello. My name is Michael M. Wallace. I am 45 year old financial sales professional from the panhandle of Texas.

Actually, no. None of this is true. While my life on here is intended to generally be an open book, the nature of the site and hangups of American society necessitate that my exact identity be withheld. However, I can say that I am a fairly normal guy in his mid 40’s from one of the greater Midwestern states.

History

Way back when, when I graduated high school, I was a relatively healthy 175 lbs at a height of 5’11”. I had slimmed down from a heavier weight of 255 lbs, mostly due to daily runs of 2-3 miles. And although I felt healthy at the time, looking back I was mostly skin and bones with very little upper body muscle or definition.

After high school, I completed undergrad and postgrad degrees and gained over 125 lbs while doing so. Since then, I have generally fluctuated between 300-325lbs, with the heaviest being 350 lbs in 2021. Part of this is probably due to the nature of my degree and career (computer and writing related, hence lots of sitting)..

I suffer from low testosterone, hypothyroidism, pre-diabetes, and a binge eating disorder. I have to get all of these things under control before anything is going to work. I’m already in my mid-40’s, so if I do not turn things around quickly, I will soon be staring at a life and death situation. Many people in my position die by the time they are 40, and that is quite alarming to me. I have to do what it takes to turn my life around.

“Why are you doing this?”

The short answer to this question is “because I have to do what works.” I don’t want to feel like this anymore, and I do not want to die an early, preventable death. I also want to live life to the fullest, and a fit, healthy body is a critical part of that.

It is my intention with Naked Progress to document my story of change in real-time, as uncensored as possible, so that I can stick to a plan, hold myself accountable, document my progress, and perhaps be of assistance to others in a similar situation. I will also document my experiences and observations with respect to the various books, articles, products, supplements, programs, etc, that I encounter.

Why Naked?

Lots (and I mean LOTS!) of deliberation went into the decision to use NSFW (Not Safe For Work, i.e. nude) progress pictures on Naked Progress. And since this is probably the most controversial aspect of the site, I will try to outline as best as I can the rationale for my decision

My first instinct was to not even entertain the question of using NSFW images. It’s easy to see how this is a first instinct, since this is how we are all conditioned in our society, particularly in the United States. But beyond that, my second instinct was to say to myself “No! Are you fucking CRAZY!” I was cemented at this point for a long, long time because without analysis, it just seems intuitive that it would be a bad idea. But as I read more and more stories, blogs, and books on the subject of health, fitness and body acceptance, my worldview began to change. So I tried to do away with my prejudices and analyze the question from as neutral a viewpoint as I possibly could, all while staying “body positive”.

So I created a list of pros and cons to determine whether the benefits of using nude progress pictures outweigh the costs of using the same, and came up with the following (in no particular order):

Cons for NSFW progress pics

(1) People I know in real life will see me naked… and I will probably have to look these people in the eye sometime in the future.

This is probably the biggest fear/con for me. It is very likely that most of the readers of Naked Progress will be internet strangers sharing in my journey. However, there are sure to be people that I know in real life. But as outlined in the “Pros” section, this fear is something I have to get over if Naked Progress is going to reach its highest potential.

(2) Under normal circumstances, nobody wants to see a naked fat guy.

You remember the fat naked guy from Friends? Yeah, nobody was ever excited to see him.

However, I feel that Naked Progress doesn’t constitute a normal circumstance. The NSFW progress pics here serve a real purpose, as outlined in the “Pros” section below.

(3) People are outright irrational when it comes to nudity and our bodies.

This is a very Puritan notion going back several centuries now. We are supposed to be ashamed of everything under the sun, but we are supposed to be especially ashamed of our bodies!

The irrationality with respect to nudity and its perceived correlation with sex, pervades our modern culture. For example, consider that in many (most?) parts of the United States it is very much frowned upon for a new mother to breastfeed her child in public. We would collectively rather that a newborn child starve, or suffer from malnutrition, than to risk that a nipple might, MIGHT be visible to nearby onlookers for the briefest of moments.

We also see it in the media that we consume as Americans. If an 8 year old child is watching a movie where a guy kills a dozen men and women with a shotgun and an axe, that’s fine. But by God, if a buttock or nipple shows up on screen, we can’t have any of that. We’re a country of morals, dammit! (*slams fist on table*)

I don’t know how to respond to this other than to say that, at least for now, we still have Constitutionally protected freedoms to engage in activities that constitute free speech. As such, I will be cognizant of this con, but I will not let it ultimately stop me from doing what I am free to do.

(4) Once the cat is out of the bag, there is no putting it back in.

Duly noted.

This is something I have given serious thought to, and between not wanting to live (and die) with regrets, and my increasing willingness to do anything that will help me solve my problem, I have decided that this is a fact I am willing to accept.

(5) Is it possible I will look back on this and regret it?

This is a very good question, and I think the answer is yes – it is possible that I will look back on this and regret my decision.

However, I just don’t think it’s likely, and whatever risk that exists, I think it is more probable than not that this will work out for a net positive gain.

If I’m successful with this program, and I complete my transformation into a happy, healthy and fit guy, I just don’t see how any negatives can outweigh the positive results.

But absent that success, what’s the worst that could happen?

The worst that could happen is that I’m “outed” and my name is attached to Naked Progress. At this point, I’m definitely not worried about embarrassment. If anything, I’d be concerned that some small-minded people would hold a grudge against me and hold it over my head. However, I’m fortunate that I’m at a point in my life where I really do not have to depend on any other person for support. I have very marketable skills, so I strongly suspect that even if I lost a job over this (which I think is highly unlikely in itself), I would find another job very quickly and move on with life.

However, I think it’s likely that as time goes on, and especially as today’s younger generation grows into adulthood, the notion of having non-sexual nude pictures on the internet won’t even register as a concern in the future. It will inevitably be so commonplace that it will become a trivial matter.

(6) Is it possible that I will offend or alienate people?

Yes, this is probably possible. However, it is not my intent… at all. On top of that, it’s not like I’m going to shove Naked Progress in front of people without adequate warning. Any mention of it will come with a fair NSFW label.

And haters gonna hate. Nothing anyone can do about that. But I will definitely not push Naked Progress on anybody beyond letting people know that it exists. I will also make it a point to not even mention Naked Progress to people that I know with 100% certainty that it will offend.

Pros for NSFW progress pics

(1) It is my belief that NSFW progress pictures are what any person would do if it weren’t for society’s preoccupation with nudity and conflation of nudity with sexuality.

If we lived in a world/country where nudity was a complete 100% non-issue, then nude progress pictures would be the norm, right? In this hypothetical scenario, why would someone want to view/share their body’s progress with their body covered up? That makes little sense. That would be like showing off your brand new car, but having a tarp over it.

On the flip side, it would make sense to have clothed progress pics if one wanted to see how clothes fit them at any given time, but as far as seeing progress of their actual body, nude is the way to go.

(2) A picture is worth a thousand words.

Fo’ shizzle. You can ascertain more from a side-by-side picture comparison of a person’s body than several pages text describing the same thing.

(3) With NSFW progress pics, I can receive better feedback.

Especially when it comes to weight lifting, NSFW pics give a much better glimpse into what is working and what is not working with respect to a given routine and set of goals.

(4) I would be conquering a fear, and pushing boundaries.

The thought of posting NSFW progress pics of myself certainly requires that I suspend conventional wisdom and take a leap of faith. I can think of a handful of times in my life where I was absolutely terrified of doing something, and seriously contemplated just backing out and taking the “safe” route. But I knew that if I could just take that first step, and then the second, and so on… that I would eventually overcome that initial fear.

And so far (knock on wood), every time I have challenged myself to this degree, I have not regretted the decision. But there is a first time for everything though(!), which is what makes doing something like this so intimidating. It’s always hard to step outside of a comfort zone, and in this case, I would be blasting miles outside my comfort zone.

But every time a person steps outside their comfort zone, even when they initially fail, they gain a little bit of confidence… since the unknown isn’t so unknown anymore. And the great thing about this new confidence is that it allows the person to expand their horizons in ways that aren’t always immediately obvious. More or less, one baby step becomes two baby steps which becomes three baby steps which eventually becomes a thousand baby steps, at which time the person is really making substantial progress!

(5) Following through with this could make me a better person and/or professional.

Related to (4) above, if I actually follow through with this grand plan and get myself into tip-top shape, then I will have succeeded in multiple ways.

First, I will have shown that I can finally conquer my demons, which in this case is my poor lifestyle when it comes to health and fitness.

Second, I will have stepped outside my comfort zone and succeeded. Without getting into too much detail, one of the things holding me back in my chosen profession is that I’m terrified of stepping out of the comfortable little world I live in. Yet in order to achieve my dreams in that arena, I have to make some major leaps outside of what I’m used to doing, and I have to be willing to make a fool out of myself while I practice my craft.

Third, since I will have succeeded in becoming healthy again, I will be able to support my family and friends better, both physically and emotionally.

(6) If I can get used to the idea of being completely nude in front of others (even if it is just people on the internet), then maybe I will be more willing to swim in public with my kids.

As any obese person knows, public swimming is the bane of our existence. And as I suspect is the case with most people in my situation, I avoid swimming and general water activities at all costs, even at private residences. And even in the very rare instances where I do opt to join in, I always 100% have a shirt on and other appropriate large clothing (long shorts, hat) to cover myself. I also avoid getting in and out of the pool as much as possible, because I don’t want to draw attention to myself.

And I do not do this because I am “ashamed” of my body. Rather, it’s just that I’m self-conscious about what I “know” people are saying behind my back, or even what I “know” they are thinking. That’s right, I’m so self-conscious about my body (although not ashamed), that I worry about what other people are thinking, even to the extent that they may not be saying it to other people.

Thus, if I can even get to the point of not caring what other people think about my shirtless body (independent of whether I “accept” my body or not), then perhaps I can bring myself to at least participate in swimming and water activities with my kids.

And if I can get to the point where I don’t care that people see me fully nude (it still feels weird just typing this out), then certainly I can rationalize in my mind that I do not care if people see me without a shirt on, right?

(7) To the extent that I’m willing to bare all, I will have accepted my body for what it currently is.

It seems that when a person intentionally puts their uncensored body on display, no matter the reason, then they have implicitly accepted their body. They have to, at least to a certain extent, because they are telling the world “Hey, this is me. This is my person. I know it’s not perfect, but here it is.”

At least in some circumstances, the counterintuitive part is that the person doesn’t necessarily share their nude body because they have accepted it, but rather, they accept their body because they have shared it.

As an example, I do not particularly like looking at my body in a mirror, and it has been a very long time since that was true. Looking directly at my body just reminds me of all kinds of negative things. But I feel that if I were to share my NSFW progress pics, then I will be forced to accept my body, because then I will have to deal with it to make it better. You cannot really fix a complicated problem until you accept (own) that problem outright. It’s the same way with my body. I cannot fix it until I own (accept) it.

(8) If I use NSFW progress pics, then I am laying all my cards on the table. There is no hiding from reality.

This would serve to keep me honest, and not allow me to sugar coat or twist the reality of the situation to make excuses.

(9) I am more accountable with NSFW progress pics.

This is true for multiple reasons:

First, as mentioned above, there are no excuses since all my cards are on the table.

Second, if I am taking this insane, gigantic leap outside of my comfort zone, I cannot and am not going to let it go to waste.

Third, for purely vain reasons, I am going to want to show that I can look better than whatever the current NSFW progress pics show.

Fourth, in the event that people I know in real life are readers of the blog, I know there is no way in hell they are going to let me get away with insufficient progress.

(10) In many (most?) parts of the world, nudity (in itself) is totally not a big deal.

Japan and many areas of Europe have co-ed public saunas for crying out loud. And these amenities aren’t for the fringe, kinky crowd, but rather the everyday citizens.

(12) Life is too short to care about what other people think.

This is kind of a philosophical thing for me. From a cosmic perspective, human beings (and all life known to have ever existed) do not even register on the scale of our galaxy, let alone the universe. Not at all… not even a little bit. To the universe, we are smaller than the proton inside an atom is to us. So in the grand scheme of things, does it really matter what any of us does, anyway? Not really. So as long as we’re not hurting each other, who cares? I sure don’t think God is going to care.

(13) As I get older, I care less and less about “expectations” as they relate to arbitrary standards.

Expectations can be a good thing, particularly when they serve a purpose (such as to prevent pain and suffering, to promote justice, to honor an agreement, etc). But expectations that arise out of a group’s desire to run other peoples’ lives serve little purpose but to make the group’s members feel morally superior. When expectations such as these arise, it is perfectly acceptable to brush those expectations aside, and live life how you see fit (to the extent that you are not negatively affecting other lives).

(14) When I die, I want my legacy to include being known for challenging myself and pushing the envelope for a greater good.

Likewise, do I want to be on my deathbed and have regrets? Do I want to fade into obscurity because I was afraid to stray from the beaten path?

(15) By using NSFW progress pics, I may be able to more effectively help people that are struggling with the same issues as me.

If I can use the progress pics to show people “hey, this guy did it and he’s just like (or worse off than) me!”, then any success I may have will resonate more with these people.

(16) If I am able to successfully incorporate NSFW progress pics, I will probably feel more of a sense of freedom and liberty.

In some sense, I would be giving “the finger” to each and every entity telling me that not only should I not do this, but that I am not allowed to do this

In a very real sense, the incorporation of NSFW progress pics is an activity (speech, press) expressly protected by the United States Constitution (First Amendment).

If you do not exercise your rights, you lose them, right?

(17) People do stuff like this all the time, and they turn out fine.

To my knowledge, not a single person has spontaneously combusted due to posting nude pictures on the internet (else, we would all be wiped off the face of the Earth by now). Moreover, on the scale of extremes that a person could be on the internet, just being naked is about a 2/10.

(18) The use of NSFW progress pics on Naked Progress is non-sexual in nature.

(19) When I decide to do something, I go all out. No holds barred.

As people who know me personally can attest, I’m kind of an all-or-nothing guy. I either do something 110%, or I don’t do it at all.

(20) If I am able to successfully incorporate NSFW progress pics, I may learn something about myself.

This is almost certainly true. When a person takes a big step like this, how can they not learn something new?

(21) To the extent that I decide to use NSFW progress pics, I can (and will) do it my way.

Since it is my blog and my forum, I am in control of the information that I want to share.

Long story short, after doing the calculus of the pros versus the cons in the lists above, and weighing the totality of the circumstances, the pros were considered more persuasive.