Fat Guys in the Woods

[Rusty Edge]

This is a TV show. Perhaps there's a thread for that, but I didn't find it in the first 5 pages.

So anyway, this is a show on The Weather Channel.
http://stories.weather.com/fat-guys-in-the-woods

"Survival is simple, just don't die!"  (from the opening credits )

This isn't about an expert overcoming whatever challenges and exotic locations the producer can throw at them. This is about an expert taking three guys who have left themselves go for whatever reason- ( an injury, a tech job, unemployment, a personal tragedy, etc. ) and teaching them survival skills, then letting them try them on their own. The first shows were shot in the fall and winter in The Great Smokey Mountains in Tennessee during the polar vortex. They try to teach you a different way to start a fire every episode.

But survival is also about psychological things  like determination, courage, teamwork, self-reliance. One guy was trying to start a campfire with matches. He got it on the 28th attempt.

Here's an excerpt from an interview with the survival expert, Creek Stewart -

Have you followed up with the guys to see how they’re doing now?

Yes, and some pretty amazing and inspiring stories emerged. Many of the cast members said their experience on the show was life-changing. Several guys said they’re now more active and have lost weight. Opie Cooper, for example, now hikes and kayaks. He has gone from a size 42 to 36 waist and is continuing to lose weight, as is Johnny Clark, who has lost close to 100 pounds. Johnny Frisbie has lost almost 40 pounds and is committed to more weight loss.

Some said that it has changed the way they view food in general as well. John Parker, who has lost 35 pounds, has given up eating meat. He camps out more now and has been more active since the show. James Hill Jr. has quit smoking and hasn’t eaten fast food in months. He only eats organic now. In fact, it’s inspired him to pursue a culinary career with the goal of making people aware of what goes into the food they are eating. Nick Lansing found the courage to leave his job to get trained in and pursue a career in acting, something he’d always wanted to do but was always too afraid to go for 100 percent. He also met “the most wonderful woman in the world,” which previously, he wouldn’t have acted on, but now he has opened himself up to take that chance.

All of these stories really inspire me because these guys have all been so brave and made big changes in their lives. I love knowing that this show can help people find the strength to make those changes, and that I can play some part in that.


Read more: http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/stories/can-these-fat-guys-survive-mother-nature#ixzz3gxgbiUtO