Hoorah for normalcy!
My senses of self-esteem and self-discipline got a boost today. My body mass index has finally settled down to 24.8, which places me at the very top end of the "normal" range--a range I've not fit into for probably ten years. Don't get me wrong, I know BMI doesn't provide a complete picture of overall health, but it is one important metric and so this victory is worth celebrating. My best guess for a healthy target weight is 160 lbs, and my body composition is still too weighted toward fat. I need to start building strength and endurance, but I'm not sure how I want to fit that work into my lifestyle yet.
I used to be a rake in my late teens--around 140 lbs at 6'. Matters changed gradually once I left home and started making all of my own dietary decisions. I didn't go on binges or anything extreme, but I did get into a habit of small indiscretions that added up over time. My weight grew steadily every year. I managed to ignore the trend for the most part, rationalising it as the result of getting older, a decreased metabolism and a less active lifestyle than when I was younger. My perceptions changed suddenly last year, when I hit 225 lbs and officially entered the "obese" BMI range. That range is defined to encompass a well-established jump in risk for many health complications, including heart disease and diabetes. A few friends in my age bracket have already developed type 2 diabetes, which alarms me.
Fortunately, gamble had similar concerns and so we talked about it together. We had both tried exercise, to no avail, and so were feeling discouraged. He had done a fair bit of reading on nutrition, though, and was already making changes to his own diet. I immediately committed to joining him. We both started tracking our weight regularly. I began on March 4, 2007, and we agreed to some very simple rules, as endorsed by the American Medical Association:
I used to be a rake in my late teens--around 140 lbs at 6'. Matters changed gradually once I left home and started making all of my own dietary decisions. I didn't go on binges or anything extreme, but I did get into a habit of small indiscretions that added up over time. My weight grew steadily every year. I managed to ignore the trend for the most part, rationalising it as the result of getting older, a decreased metabolism and a less active lifestyle than when I was younger. My perceptions changed suddenly last year, when I hit 225 lbs and officially entered the "obese" BMI range. That range is defined to encompass a well-established jump in risk for many health complications, including heart disease and diabetes. A few friends in my age bracket have already developed type 2 diabetes, which alarms me.
Fortunately, gamble had similar concerns and so we talked about it together. We had both tried exercise, to no avail, and so were feeling discouraged. He had done a fair bit of reading on nutrition, though, and was already making changes to his own diet. I immediately committed to joining him. We both started tracking our weight regularly. I began on March 4, 2007, and we agreed to some very simple rules, as endorsed by the American Medical Association:
- No "dieting". We would change our eating habits permanently.
- Target consuming ¾ of our normal caloric requirements per day to lose weight slowly and steadily. (I used an online calculator to get an estimate.)
- Limit fat consumption to 30% of our daily calories, to reduce the risk of heart disease. (Apparently this thinking is outdated now, but we did find it practical advice in conforming to #2.)
- Eat whatever the hell we want, otherwise, but keep it varied and enticing.