Austin – I get my cat and tell you about the TV show I am working on

True statement – I’m better about writing a blog when I am actively traversing the countryside as opposed to working a day job and returning home to the same place each night.

But there is a lot to write about being in Austin so let’s get cracking.

I went to NYC three weeks ago to pick-up Abe and other stuff I needed to make living in Austin a bit easier. I am trying not to buy too much stuff because only the stuff I came with will fit back on the bike.

Finding a sublet wasn’t too hard thanks to Craigslist. The only complicating factor was having a pet. So I ended up with an unfurnished studio apartment two miles from work. It took a few trips, by bicycle, to Target to get the bare necessities to make the place work – blow-up queen bed, pots and pans, dishes, etc.

I really like having Abe back with me. I missed the little guy. Big shout out to Max for taking care of him for 5 months.

He has developed a habit of peeing outside of his litter box, but I am working with him on it and making progress. I am so glad to have found Eco-88 to break down his pee. It really works at neutralizing the smell. If you have an animal that is messing up your place check it out. The website is lame, but the stuff really works. I am also spraying Feliway on the areas he pees to see it it makes him stop. It’s a synthetic cat hormone that is supposed to be calming. It’s too early to tell if it works, but at least it is something else to try.

The show I am working on is called My 600 Pound Life. We are doing a follow-up to season 2, so following the same 8 characters to see how they are doing during the second year of their weight loss journey. It’s is both heartbreaking and uplifting to see these people battle against such a life destroying problem and succeed for the most part.

Each of them has had gastric bypass surgery, where their stomach was sectioned into a small pouch that can only hold 2-4 ounces of food and also part of the small intestine was removed so that less food is absorbed as it is processed. It drastically limits the number of calories that can be consumed, but also requires strict adherence to a specific diet and supplement regimen for the rest of their lives.

It’s unbelievable to me that humans can get to 500+ pounds, but there are a lot of them. It’s also something that is next to impossible to happen without some one else being an enabler that helps them to survive and grow. It seems that most if not all of the people on the show have had a lot of trauma in their life – sexual abuse, murdered spouse, depression, etc.

It feels good to be working on a program that is based on something real and showing how these people fight it out. I hope other people that are suffering from morbid obesity see it and get inspired to get help. It has to be one of the worst ways to live. I can only imagine what it  must be like to cary an extra 400 to 500 pounds around.