Dan T's adventures in weight loss

 I have never been what most people would consider heavy.

I used to sink because I had so little body fat. As a pole vaulter in high school, I couldn't make the lightest pole bend--so I straight poled it. When I was working in a mental health clinic, I realized that based on my BMI, if I were anorexic the default recommendation would be to hospitalize me. I wasn't just thin. I was. . .really. . .skinny. You could see my ribs. It wasn't intentional. That's just what my body was.


Then I gained about ten pounds per decade. I'd keep a size of clothes below me just in case, but it really was a one way journey. Until a year and a half ago when I decided maybe I could stand to lose a little weight. I was 156 at the time and figured it would be good to get down to the 145-150 range. 

I didn't think drastic action was needed. Exercise a little more regularly, cut down the beer a little bit. Watch the chocolate intake. I also thought it would be an interesting experiment. I am aware of how difficult it is generally for people to lose weight. Would I find it similarly vexing? 

I kept a chart. I decided to weigh myself exactly once a week, knowing that daily weigh-ins can be discouraging. In the first six weeks I lost one half pound. That didn't seem like progress. So I upped my daily exercise from 30 minutes to 40 minutes. I began to gradually lose weight--about a half pound to a pound per month. After six months, I was below 150. At one year I hit 145. I thought, great, keep it here, and I'm golden.

I immediately shot right back up and was outside my target range within a month. I don't remember doing anything differently to produce that gain. I've bounced around above and below 150 since then. At one point I decided, "OK I'm going to get serious about this" and did everything right. I gained 2.5 lbs. that week. I got really mad. I gave up. I said, "fuck it, it doesn't matter what I do." I ate more chocolate and drank more beer. I lost a pound and a half.

So: After eighteen months of deliberate weight loss, Dan the skinny guy has lost six pounds and is barely meeting his goals. I can't detect any near term correlation between my behavior and whether my weight goes up or down. I crave food when I'm trying to "be good." I started out knowing it's hard for most people and found out it's hard for me, a lucky one, as well. There's no moral to this story. There's no definitive conclusion. No bow with which to wrap it up. It is what it is, and God only knows what it will be.

. . . .

Weight and weight loss are emotionally and socially charged topics. What do you have to say about it--personal, political, or other?

(contributed by. . .you guessed it, Dan T.)


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