It all Started with a Second Coffee Ch 7
Hughie is a hyena who has noticed that he's a bit larger than he used to be. However, he enjoys the perks of his job too much to make any changes to his diet. Meanwhile, his best friend Gary, a red fox, would prefer to see a few more pounds added to Hughie's growing frame.
Chapter 7 shows the first three weeks of Hughie's diet, and his strong, determined start is quickly undermined by his hunger.
When Hughie told Gary that he wanted to lose weight, he had been serious. He had really meant it and he longed for the days when he could walk around without judgemental looks from strangers and when he didn't feel the need to bring an extra shirt with him to change into halfway through the workday. He wanted to be able to wear size Medium clothing again, like his favorite sweater from college. He wanted to be able to feel good about the hyena that stared back at him in the mirror.
Most of all, he wanted to get into the best shape of his life and prove to Ryan that he wasn't just some lardass. He spent many nights in bed alone, craving Ryan's touch, only to know that the tiger was out with some other guy he met at a bar and they were having sex.
They were getting frisky and freaky while he was in bed eating ice cream. If the hyena had the fortune, or misfortune, to be graced by Ryan's presence for an evening, they did nothing but argue. Ryan would critique the unhealthy food in Hughie's fridge, he would make snide comments about his ill-fitting clothing, and he would never hesitate to scoff when Hughie went to eat something else after the miniscule portion he ate for dinner.
It would all come to a head when Hughie pulled dessert out of the oven or freezer. It was a type of song and dance they played, one where both players knew the script. The two would fail to agree on a movie to watch, and Ryan would get frustrated and go to the bathroom to text some desperate slut. Hughie would get up and go to the kitchen and find something sweet to eat. Ryan would come back out of the bathroom to find Hughie with half of a pie or a quart of ice cream in his paws. The tiger would then proceed to scream at the hyena and call him fat and unrecognizable and then storm out to meet up with his booty call. Hughie would then finish off his dessert and take the other half to his bed and watch something on his computer, while Ryan would spend the night with his dick in some other guy. They would then refuse to speak to each other for a few days, until Hughie would apologize and promise to go on a diet if Ryan would just stop being mad at him. The tiger would hem and haw until he agreed and then the routine would begin all over again.
It had become a horrible cycle that spiraled from the first time Hughie had noticed Ryan texting another guy behind his back. He could barely remember their first fight, as they all ran together and followed a similar pattern.
His relationship with Ryan, full of threats surrounding his weight, contributed to his desire to stick it to the buff tiger. So, when he moved in with Gary a few weeks later, he surprised himself by actually sticking to his plan. He was really going to do it. He had found the motivation to actually fix this problem he had been allowing to fester unabated.
He knew that Gary was going to be there for him, no matter what happened. There was no threat of heartbreak. There was no threat of pain if he failed. He knew that the fox liked heftier men, but Gary seemed to be on board with helping Hughie.
After getting all of his stuff unpacked at Gary's apartment, he was ready to start his weight loss journey. The fox promised that he would help coach the hyena and give him the support he needed to stick to his diet, and the first thing they needed to do was establish a baseline. That meant stepping on the scale. That meant Hughie had to weigh himself for the first time in over a year.
To say he was nervous was an understatement. He knew it was going to be a high number. He was no stranger to his growth. It was his body, after all. He knew the stretch marks and the jiggly dough that covered his body were the result of overeating and stuffing his emotions. But, when Gary read out the number 302.7, he choked on his spit and started coughing. 302.7 pounds!
How could the number be so big? How could he be so... big? He was more than a hundred pounds heavier than the last time he weighed himself.
All of a sudden, his body felt disproportionately bigger and fatter than it was already. His stomach felt like an overinflated exercise ball, rather than its actual beach ball size. His arms felt heavier and he struggled to lift them up to his face. Did he have two chins, or was it three? Four? What size were his moobs? Could they still be called moobs, or were they now officially boobs? Did he need to wear a bra? Was it inappropriate to have such large sacs of fat on top of his gargantuan stomach without some type of clothing to reign them in? And his ass? Were his ass cheeks the size of beach balls too, or were they even bigger? How was he still standing?
He was hyperventilating and had to lean against the sink in his bathroom. It groaned in protest and Hughie was surprised that it didn't crack and break under his lardy backside.
Hughie was so lost in his panic that he failed to notice how Gary smiled as he read the number. The fox's cock also twitched and he felt that desire to ruin the hyena even further, until he looked over at his traumatized boyfriend and fully understood the effect it was having on him.
Then, the guilt replaced lust and he placed a paw on Hughie's shoulder to get his attention. He pulled him in for a hug, a quick kiss, and the promise that things will get better and that he will support him in his weight loss. The fox didn't know what else he could say, so the two just held each other close as the minutes ticked by and their mutual warmth calmed the hyena.
Seeing that large number on the scale caused the obese hyena to think back to the day he moved out and when he and Gary went through his foodstuffs. Gary wanted to be there to help Hughie know which foods to keep and which ones to toss, so it was the last thing they did at his old apartment before they moved in together.
As they had gone through the pantry, fridge, and freezer, Gary noted that he needed to throw most of the food out. Potato chips, cookies, biscuits, sugar snaps, even white bread needed to be tossed. The fox opened a black trash bag and started to chunk the unhealthy food into it. One trash bag became two, and there was little left behind other than some bags of dried beans and cans of tomato soup.
The fridge and freezer suffered similar fates in the hour that followed. Gallon tubs of ice cream were the most logical dessert to remove first, but also the most difficult, as Hughie had grown accustomed to finishing one gallon every two nights. Rolls of uncooked cookie dough, chocolate candies, and pies were also taken out and put into a bag. Hughie's stomach growled and his heart beat a bit faster to see just how much unhealthy food he kept around. By the time the freezer was emptied, all that remained were a few frozen chicken breasts and bags of frozen vegetables.
The fridge was perhaps the most emblematic of just how out of control the hyena's fast food addiction had become. To-go boxes of fried rice, take away boxes of pizza, Chinese, and Italian from Pasquale's filled three shelves on their own. Not to mention the three bottles of two liter sodas on the top shelf and the bottom shelf of various beers. Very little else was salvageable, much less healthy-enough for the cooler that Gary had brought to transport the food.
In the end, Gary's cooler was only filled about a third of the way, and he made a mental note that Hughie should not be in charge of grocery shopping if he wanted to lose weight.
The third part of Hughie's plan was perhaps the most difficult of them all. He and Gary needed to come up with an exercise program to go along with the hyena's new diet. Gary knew little more than the general consensus of the population, and Hughie knew even less than he did.
Running was good for cardio, but he felt like he had been told somewhere that it didn't actually help with losing weight. And he knew he needed to go to the gym and start lifting weights, but he had never been before and had no idea what to expect.
This dilemma was further complicated by the conflicting schedules the new couple had. Gary worked afternoons and evenings and weekends, while Hughie worked in the morning and afternoon. They had to come to a decision about their work schedules anyways, since they wanted to actually be able to spend time with each other. The issue was that each was the most senior staff for their position. Living together was saving both of them considerable money on rent alone, so they agreed to each shave a few hours off their afternoons to have some time together. It was a start and they could readjust as they progressed in their relationship.
Their differing schedules forced Gary to put a lot of trust in Hughie to stick to his diet and exercise plans. They both knew that it was going to be a difficult period of adjustment in the beginning, but the hyena's resolve seemed strong.
Having agreed to start off slow with their relationship, as well as with Hughie's dietary changes, the first few days felt strange. After coming home from his shift at Pasquale's in the wee hours of the night, Gary would unwind by preparing a simple, but healthier breakfast for Hughie to heat up in the morning. This time-saver gave Hughie the time he needed to go out and exercise in the morning before work. He was able to go out and walk around with some light weights in his hand for extra training on the side. Hughie had seen it in a movie once, and so he thought he could do it too. Gary was just happy that the big hyena was motivated and excited to train, and even more excited seeing his flabby body straining his sweats.
Once Hughie returned from his morning exercise, he would sit down at the table with his premade meal of three hard-boiled eggs, two half slices of whole wheat toast, bowl of oatmeal, and light Greek yogurt parfait. After devouring his meal, he would go take a shower to distract himself while he waited for his food to hit the bottom of his stomach. After drying and getting dressed, he would pop a coffee pod in the machine and prepare some lunch consisting of lettuce wraps filled with grilled chicken and thai veggies and to take to work.
While the hyena would go about his morning routine, Gary would head straight to his bed, exhausted from his long night. He would briefly awaken as the coffee maker did its thing, and he would listen to the floor creaking as the fat hyena tried to quietly walk out of the front door. After fully awakening in the early afternoon, Gary would prepare a larger dinner of grilled salmon, steamed vegetables, brown rice, and a salad for Hughie to have while he went off to work and a snack for him to have before going to the gym.
The hyena would finish his shift and return home shortly after the fox finished preparing the food, and the two would catch up and spend time with each other for the next few hours until Gary would leave for work. Hughie would then head to the gym and spend about half an hour there lifting weights and using the machines.
After sweating through his shirt and fur, the hyena would attempt to towel himself dry and get in his car to return home. A minor back sweat stain would be left on his car seat once he got home. He would then heat up his dinner in the oven, minus the salad, while he took another shower. After eating dinner, the hyena would wander around the apartment for a bit, trying to find something to take his mind off his growling stomach and his craving for something sweet.
Having to satisfy himself on flavored water did little to fill the two voids, but it was all he could give his body. Gary had removed all desserts from the apartment, even the sugar cubes for his coffee. Playing video games only led to boredom, which led to hunger. Reading and playing card games produced the same result. Watching TV was basically an invitation to snack and gorge, and so the hyena found himself without an outlet for his hunger while he waited on Gary to return. The hyena would then try to fall asleep despite his gnawing hunger, and the cycle would begin anew the next morning.
The fourth step of the plan put the most pressure on Hughie's ability to find self-control. He had to eliminate his snacking at work. Gary told him that he could taste the food as he needed to ensure the quality and taste was correct, but other than that, he couldn't eat anything at work. No more eating the burned cookies, or the out-of-date meals, or the accidental extra portion that was made. All of that needed to stop post haste. If he felt that he was going to be overwhelmed by his hunger, he would have to drink water or step outside until he felt better. And then he could come home and try to use Gary to distract himself.
And so the process continued for the first week they lived together. And then it continued, albeit with increased difficulty, for the second week. By the beginning of the third week, there were already signs of significant strain on their plan, and even their budding relationship. They were still touching each other when spending time together, but the loving, tender touches of an intimate couple were missing.
Hughie, starved and bored with his afternoon isolation, had grown irritable and lost his temper easily around Gary. He would come home from work exhausted, sweaty, and starving, with little more than a miniscule meal to look forward to and a sleepy fox who seemed stricter than a drill sergeant. The hyena would finish his meal and recede into himself as he fought the growing dread of having to go to the gym. His body ached so badly and his legs and arms were so sore that it was beginning to affect his performance at work.
Gone was the energy and excitement that the hyena had on the first day. Gone was the rigidity that the fox had on day one. Each was already tired of dealing with their new arrangement and each was desperate for the weigh-in at the end of the first twenty-one days. They had both heard that new habits form after three weeks, and they decided that weighing in and seeing progress would spur on the formation of healthy habits for the hyena.
Irritated at home and awake long into the night with hunger pangs, the end of week three could not come soon enough for Hughie. He had even fired one of the slower packers at work in a fit of hunger and anger. If he had been less irrational, he would have probably given the squirrel more time to acclimate themselves but, after messing up an entire order of black bean and corn salsa, along with letting the frozen cookies melt before packing them, the two mistakes were significant enough to warrant termination.
After seven arduous days, the fox and hyena found themselves back in Gary's bathroom with Hughie on the scale in his underwear. They agreed not to let Hughie weigh himself until the official end of the first three weeks, and Hughie was nervous beyond belief. He felt like he had lost weight. He knew he had to have lost at least some significant portion, because he was starving himself and eating only tiny portions. Surely he had lost fifty pounds, right?
He closed his eyes as he stepped on the scale. 302.7 pounds. That was what he weighed three weeks ago. How much skinnier was he going to be today? All of the suffering these past three weeks was going to have been worth it. He was going to see the results and it was all going to have been worth it.
He waited. He waited for Gary to read the number aloud, but the fox remained silent.
"Hey... Gar?" The hyena was starting to get nervous.
He opened his eyes to see the fox staring down at the scale. Gary looked up and met his gaze.
"295.9." It came out soft.
Hughie inhaled sharply. All of that work, and all of the sleepless nights where he lay awake in hunger, and that was it? 6.8 pounds was all that he lost in three weeks? After such drastic changes to his lifestyle? After he put so much effort into this change?
He let out a frustrated sigh and left the bathroom. Gary watched him leave, sensing an even angrier hyena was in store for him today.