Minor rant
My boyfriend went to the doctor today for the first time in probably ten years. He was nervous about diabetes because he has a family history of it and, as I mentioned, he has put on about fifty pounds since I met him. Well, thank goodness he's entirely healthy, but of course the doctor told him that if he wants to stay that way he'd better lose some weight.
Alright. Fine. So the guy has to lose some weight. I am a big girl, I can deal with this. I'm not crying inside, really. :(
So, being an athelete and a coach and knowing a lot more about diet, training, and weight than he does I tell him he has two choices. Weight management, contrary to what magazines tell you, is really all about one thing: balancing calories in vs. calories spent. So losing weight can happen by cutting down on the calories going in, or by increasing the number of calories you burn. In straight talk, it means eating less and/or doing more excersize (and yes, I know that there are other alternatives: eating differently, various calorie burning fads, what have you... but really, fundamentally we're talking diet and excersize.)
Obviously (to anyone who reads this journal), my preference is that he does more excersize. Right now he does nothing, he sits around and watches TV most of the time. He has a desk job. Even if he's not eating a huge amount, he's going to gain weight this way because he doesn't burn much. Picking up a sport, joining a gym or just jogging would do wonders for him. He could still eat what he likes and the added bonus is he'd build some sexy, sexy muscle mass. He'd be more energetic and happier.
But no, laziness won. He has decided to just eat less. Now, aside from the fact that I find this tremendously unattractive, there are other downsides to this option. Nothing is uglier, IMO, than "skinny fat guys" - that is, guys who don't weigh much but who are flabby and out of shape anyway. You're still weak and prone to all the downsides of being fat: high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. The only thing you lose this way is *mass*. Is that really what health is all about???
Needless to say, I am annoyed. I don't believe in "forcing" people to do anything other than what they want - I have let him know what I think he should do, and he has considered that option and chosen to do otherwise. I respect his decision. But this has put a real damper on my day. I don't know what more to say about it.
Trying to put on a happy face. :(
Alright. Fine. So the guy has to lose some weight. I am a big girl, I can deal with this. I'm not crying inside, really. :(
So, being an athelete and a coach and knowing a lot more about diet, training, and weight than he does I tell him he has two choices. Weight management, contrary to what magazines tell you, is really all about one thing: balancing calories in vs. calories spent. So losing weight can happen by cutting down on the calories going in, or by increasing the number of calories you burn. In straight talk, it means eating less and/or doing more excersize (and yes, I know that there are other alternatives: eating differently, various calorie burning fads, what have you... but really, fundamentally we're talking diet and excersize.)
Obviously (to anyone who reads this journal), my preference is that he does more excersize. Right now he does nothing, he sits around and watches TV most of the time. He has a desk job. Even if he's not eating a huge amount, he's going to gain weight this way because he doesn't burn much. Picking up a sport, joining a gym or just jogging would do wonders for him. He could still eat what he likes and the added bonus is he'd build some sexy, sexy muscle mass. He'd be more energetic and happier.
But no, laziness won. He has decided to just eat less. Now, aside from the fact that I find this tremendously unattractive, there are other downsides to this option. Nothing is uglier, IMO, than "skinny fat guys" - that is, guys who don't weigh much but who are flabby and out of shape anyway. You're still weak and prone to all the downsides of being fat: high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. The only thing you lose this way is *mass*. Is that really what health is all about???
Needless to say, I am annoyed. I don't believe in "forcing" people to do anything other than what they want - I have let him know what I think he should do, and he has considered that option and chosen to do otherwise. I respect his decision. But this has put a real damper on my day. I don't know what more to say about it.
Trying to put on a happy face. :(