A Weighty Problem by Any Measure

A Note from the Blogger:  In this post, I am going to talk about weight loss.  While I have never approached my blog as a “healthy living blog” (OK, seriously, this would be closer to an UN-healthy living blog!), I have been talking a lot about running for the past few years and that could wind up on someone’s Google search as a fitness blog.  Which, frankly, is ironic to me considering what I’m about to post about.  Nonetheless,I am aware that sometimes the content of healthy living and/or fitness blogs can be triggering to people who have wrestled with eating disorders.  Though I have never dealt with an ED personally, I am sensitive to those who have.  If you, dearest reader, are dealing with (or are in recovery from) an eating disorder, please use caution in reading further.

Now that that is out of the way, here we go.

The weight on my scale, combined with my height and my body composition, officially qualifies me for at least “overweight” if not outright “obese”. 

No, I’m serious.  Why do you think I do not post many photos of late?  Why do you think the photos I’ve posted in recent months are strategically cropped?

That’s why.

I’m seriously overweight for my frame and I’m embarrassed all to hell about it.

Lest you think I’m just suffering from ill-fitting “pre-holiday” jeans and/or “the last ten pounds” here, allow me to offer the results of my research.  There are many measures of obesity out there, the most common of which is BMI or Body Mass Index.  In recent years, there’s been a growing debate about the accuracy of BMI. 

Last year, when I ran my first (and so far, only half-marathon), I saw a Registered Dietician for twelve weeks, in search of an eating plan to correct what I felt were imbalances in how I was fueling for my runs.  She used BMI as an initial screener only – she followed it up with a metabolic test combined with a body fat test.  The combination of which, by the way, proved that my metabolism was just fine but my body fat was way too high.

Now, more than a year later, I sit here 16 pounds heavier than I was after that race.  SIXTEEN.

Egads.  Yes, I have eaten my way back to an all-time high in terms of weight.  And where I used to NEVER carry weight in my tummy (it’s all hips & butt for me, folks), now I’m sporting a gut.  Not a pot belly, not a pooch. A GUT.

And this brings us to the newest, albeit still reportedly imperfect, measurement of obesity – the BAI, or Body Adiposity Index.  Unlike the BMI, which takes into account only height and weight, this crazy-complex formula adds in hip circumference.  The theory is that this added point of data (combined with math that would make even my nerd-genius brother’s head spin) makes this measure a more accurate one for overall body fat.

So I ran my numbers on both.  And the results, no matter what the measure, are not pretty:

• BMI:  30.1 ---> according to the tables, anything over 30 is considered “obese”. <---[insert ‘Dee screaming riiiiight about here]
• BAI:  35.7 ---> according to the tables for this measure, anything over 35 is considered “overweight”. <---[being a hair under the “obese” measure for this one does NOT make me feel any better]

No, I’m not going to tell you what my input numbers were.  Maybe after they change (for the better), I will be brave and post them.  In the meantime, let’s just say that weight loss is going to be a theme on this blog for a while.

The slightly daunting realization is this:  I have so much to lose that it’s going to take MONTHS to do so (in a healthful way, which is the only way that I will consider).  Persistence is going to be key but I won’t lie – I am not looking forward to adapting my eating and exercise to the extent needed to pull this off.  I’d rather eat like I want, exercise when I want, and be slender anyway.

It would seem that is not in the cards.  *Sigh*

Anybody else out there on a weight loss journey that means you’ll be in it for the long haul?  If so, let me know, I’d love to hear from you.  And if you have a blog, let me know that, too!  You will be promptly added to my blogroll so that we may all collectively cheer each other on.