The Naked Truth: Carlos Fieros

Carlos Fierros, 23 Oakley, Calif. Likes: face, legs Dislikes: stomach

"I've always seen myself as being pretty good-looking, except for being overweight," says Carlos Fierros. Currently 317 pounds, the 23-year-old student would like to drop at least a third of his weight, and he's considering all his options -- including gastric-bypass surgery and liposuction. A year ago Fierros dropped 40 pounds in a month and a half--"I know it's bad," he says, "but I started skipping meals" -- then gained the weight back after a bout with depression. He's committed to slimming down again, but he says the real change he'd like to see is a decreased emphasis on body image in gay culture. "Not so concentrated on, 'Oh, he's muscular, he's good-looking,' " he says.

Still, Fierros says, he's more attracted to the somewhat stereotypical "muscle men" than he is to a guy his own size. "A lot of chubby dudes are not into chubby men," he explains. He says he sometimes has trouble finding dates. "Nobody really wants a big person," he says. "I've tried for a long time to find that special someone, but no one wants a fat guy." Fierros points to his face and legs as two things he likes about his body, but he says he won't be satisfied with himself until he starts dropping some weight. "I'd like to be at least skinny," he says. "Even if I was scrawny, that'd be OK."

Carlos Fierros, 23 Oakley, Calif. Likes: face, legs Dislikes: stomach

Carlos Fierros, 23 Oakley, Calif. Likes: face, legs Dislikes: stomach