June 18, 2008
-
Confessions of a Plump Physique
Just a quick post, since I'm so busy this week. So last November, I needed to get my suit dry cleaned because I had worn it a lot recently for job interviews. When I got it back and tried it on a month later, I was sure I had been given the wrong suit by mistake. It didn't fit properly on me at all. But then, the truth suddenly dawned on me...
I WAS FAT!!!
Yes, as a man I really was that out of touch with my body. Somehow, I had finished August weighing about 190 pounds (which is not too bad for someone who is about six feet tall)...and gone to about 225 pounds in just about 5 months!
This led to some interesting conversations with myself. I always had a little baby fat growing up, but I never was truly fat. I weighed about 165 pounds as a senior in high school, and played 3 sports. So it was quite a disappointment to find out that I finally was overweight according to most measuring systems. Here's a few things I've learned about being over weight. You may have already known these, but they were new to me.
First, being fat doesn't necessarily mean you can't play sports anymore. I didn't think I was fat, because I was still able to run the floor in basketball and run a mile or more in my work-outs. Sure, there was some drop-off in performance, but for whatever reason I also got better at shooting 3-pointers in basketball when I gained weight. (More ballast? Who knows?). So just going by my athletic performance was of little help in deciding true physical fitness. Fat people aren't necessarily slow!
Second, being fat is even more dangerous to your health than you think, given certain body types. I am the type of guy to gain weight mostly in the stomach, and that is apparently linked to increased heart attack risk. So even if I can still play all the sports I want, I might die before my time. That's a serious incentive to lose weight!
Third, it helps me if I match food items to their cost in exercise. When I realize that to "earn" that pop, I need to exercise for 20 minutes on the treadmill to offset the calories, it makes reaching for the water a lot easier. In addition, I try to cut corners where I don't care. I've learned to like skim milk, and that's one easy sacrifice that I can make.
Fourth, it's been important to me to keep a healthy perspective on my weight loss goal. I know 185 pounds is a reasonable goal for me. However, 175 pounds is probably not a weight I can achieve any more. My job is rather sedentary, and my time limited. On the other hand, I can't be so obsessed with weight gain that I start believing that the only thing keeping me from a better social life or attracting women or getting a better job is an extra 20 pounds around the waist. Why not?
Because once I'll lose the weight, I'll feel empty when I realize that it hasn't fulfilled all my needs, and then I'll resort to unhealthy behavior to make up for the pain in my soul. It's important not to confuse physical needs (whether they be for food, weight loss, or touch) with spiritual needs (such as love, a feeling of belonging, peace in the soul, and the need for meaning in one's life). Mix up the two, and one gets into all sorts of unhealthy behavior, because I believe that often physical needs are merely symptoms of our spiritual needs. (Chew on that one for a while, if you would).
Fifth, it's the process that counts, not the outcome. Some weeks (note, I weigh myself weekly, NOT daily) I lose more than I expected, others less. But the number is not important! What is important is the process I am following: am I exercising regularly? Making sure to not overdo fatty foods? Eating regularly in fellowship with others, rather than devouring snacks in solitude? If I am doing that, then weight loss will take care of itself.
Ok, I have to go, that will do for now. I had hoped to post on a more interesting topic than myself, but I felt that since weight loss is such a big issue for so many Xangans, maybe my insights could be helpful. Next time, I promise you won't hear about me--even I get bored with talking about myself, although it takes a while :-p
EDIT: One of my favorite Xangans sweetly pointed out that Jilly had a post up on this as well. Because the topics we chose are so closely related, I feel honor-bound to link to her as well: http://weblog.xanga.com/Southernlass/662055119/the-facts-of-fat-from-a-fat-chick.html .
Comments (28)
It's hilarious how out of shape I am after no exercise for four months; I feel your pain.
I never thought you were fat (from the only picture I saw of you). But I've never seen you in real life, so perhaps you're big. But no way near fat, I think.
This post reminds me of Southernlass' post. You should go read it. It's in the same vein.
4 years of college, and I weigh less now (or at least at the beginning of this summer... I'm gettin fattened up again) than I did when I graduated from highschool.... no workouts necessary... guess that happens when food tastes like crap.
Yeah, that belly fat is really really dangerous. I've just always been evenly fat. They've also found that surprisingly, being overweight doesn't necessarily mean you're unhealthy. In fact, most of the time, overweight people (reasonably overweight people) have better blood pressure and overall health stats than the skinnies.
I've always been healthy as a horse, just chubby
You're thinking and planning. It's great to know that it takes 20 minutes of exercise to work off the soft drink, and that you're planning meals with others, rather than eating junk food alone. It's not really weight loss as much as attitude and life change.
I weighed 118 lbs. when I graduated High School. At age 22 I weighed 140. By age 30 I weighed 170. I have gone up and down from there. I actually gained weight when I was in a coma. Most of what you are fed via a tube are carbohydrates. Carbs that you don't burn because you are not moving. These carbs are converted to fat for storage. That's how I woke up heavier than when I went to "sleep". I'm not complaining, I woke up, I just woke up fat. The Doctors wouldn't let me do much for an entire year, consequently, I gained more weight. Now that I can exercise pretty much normally, I have lost 27 pounds since April 30th. I intend to get to a healthy weight by September, we will see if that happens.
Michael
Good thoughts. This guy I used to have a crush on is a little overweight and I loved how he would never take it personally...He knew he was, he didn't want to be and was making some effort toward losing that but he sincerely did not equate his value and self-worth with his physique. I loved that about him. He was so confident. He even said to me once that he knew he wasn't the best looking guy, not a pretty boy I believe his words were, but in the same conversation he was admitting how much he liked himself and how glad he was to be himself. I know two mildly overweight women, both who used to be thinner and both beautiful.....one wants to hide herself because she can't accept herself with extra fat and the other full of life and relaxed, not worried about being rejected. While they both have things I like and love about them, I feel so much more comfortable with the one who loves herself. I also used to know this other girl who was attractive but not magazine-ideal by any standards. But she was so happy and so loving and fun that after hanging out with her a few times my mind started to change and what I had previously considered a body-type to not want suddenly appeared beautiful and feminine and gracious. God once told me it isn't how you look, it's how you see yourself. And that when you're a queen, people want to look like you, no matter what you look like....people used to pluck their hairlines to look like Queen Victoria or the old Queen Elizabeth or someone and she had a receding hairline. And they say Spaniards say z as th because one of their kings had a lisp... As far as health goes...it's good to be healthy. To love, to laugh, to enjoy life. To be loved. These things are part of health as well. Love works miracles.
Hah.. yeah I relate to a lot of what you posted. To me its a way of becoming healthier in mind and body, plus to avoid the health risks that my family have. On a lighter note hope to hear about how you got back into that suit that you fit in snuggly at the momment.
It's funny how that weight sneaks up on you...then you look in the mirror one day and think...how did I not notice that over the past 3 months! Guess it goes the same way with losing weight. You don't feel any different for a while and then it just hits you.
Congrats on losing weight. I can be hard to balance life and exercise sometimes
Wise words. In the end, I have to remind myself it isn't about the numbers, it's about being more energetic, taking care of my body and exercising moderation in what I do. Good post! ~ L
PS: Oh, and I meant to say, I love the "earn it" mentalitly. So many times, I've reached for a soda or cookie and realized how much I would have to exercise just for that little bit. Makes me put it down, lol. ~ L
I think you have a really healthy, realistic outlook when it comes to trying to lose the weight. It's really refreshing and I'm definitely going to have to steal some of your tips
Funny how the weight catches up on you. Eat sensibly and in moderation. Exercise as well. It's that simple
Funny how the weight catches up on you. Eat sensibly and in moderation. Exercise as well. It's that simple
sounds like you are going about it the right way. it's hard to grasp that i'll never achieve the same shape i had in my twenties (being 34 and 3 children into life). i applaud your reasonable outlook on your weight goals.
much love,b
I think we just have such an unhealthy attitude toward food (and I mean this in general, not anyone specifically) as a matter of national habit, that we have to actually teach ourselves what "healthy" really is. In older cultures, people don't need to be taught not to overeat, to eat the right kinds of things, etc -- because they already DO it.
I think the Bible is pretty clear that man should eat from the labor of his own hands; that we are to be a physically active people who eat only what we need to continue being physically active. This is part of why I want to be a dietitian; I think we've forgotten the Godly model of how to treat our bodies, and it's always a bad idea to ignore the manufacturer's instructions.
Ohhh, but the numbers are so appealing...
After I posted that, I realized how much I've fallen back in terms of beating my ED.
Someday I'll break free of this.
@AThousandTimesIveFailed - There are many Christian women suffering from ED on Xanga. You are not at all alone. Take heart, my friend; find some good people to stand with you and help you in your fight.
Thanks John...it can be really therapeutic. Hope you have a great weekend!
It's good that you're actively making an effort to take care of yourself - I think there aren't enough people that do that these days.
Let me know if you ever need any workout advice! I know a little bit about this matter...
I was heavy from the age of 7 until I was 18. When I finally left home for college, I began eating normal portions and healthy foods. I exercised regularly and changed my sleeping habits. I didn't have a scale so as far as I knew I wasn't really making any progress. Some of my clothes began getting really baggy. Finally I went home and my whole family was so pleasantly surprised. Turns out I lost 80 pounds, without noticing! lol
I still have a little ways to go, but I'm staying motivated.
The closer I get to the goal of the healthier me, the happier I feel.
Not just for the sake of looking good, but I feel more energetic and don't have the same physical pains I used to. I want to make the most of my youth while I have it!
And yes, a drink of soda is so not worth 20 on the treadmill.
I've always had a pretty slender frame throughout most of my teen/adult life. It took some pretty strong convincing from my peers and family that I was a tad skinny, and because of that I've been desperately trying to gain some weight. From what I've been told, its better to eat 6 small meals a day as opposed to 2 large ones.
Hehe. I hate it when I think I've been good then I step on the scale and surprise surprise.
Ryc: I am definitely interested in your offer to network with some makeup artists. Thanks
@youngvan - Try http://www.facesbyprecious.com/ , or http://www.xanga.com/charlottegeely also works in that industry, I believe. I had one more name, but it doesn't come to mind right now.
Great post. I especially like the end of number 4 ... physical needs are merely symptoms of spiritual needs. it strikes a chord, and i think i will take your offer and chew on it for awhile.
and, of course, i agree ... the pop isn't worth the running time. thanks for the reminder!
u r not fat u r cuddly
@ShimmerBodyCream - Thank you dear.
Comments are closed.