Yes - fat.
Because by today's BMI scale, I fall into the obese category. Now - if you look at me - you'd never believe I weigh as much as I do because I'm tall (thank god) and pear shaped (matter of fact my pants and shirt sizes differ by almost 3 sizes), but none the less - I'm obese. Based on my BMI, I have been obese since high school even when I was in regular woman's 14/16 pants - but by my BMI I was still considered obese.
Let me clue everyone in on something... I know I'm fat. I know I'm overweight. I know I need to lose weight. In fact, I bet MOST of the people in the world KNOW when they are. (I also know there are people in this world who are obsessed with their weight and size).
I'm talking about those of us in the world who are truly overweight. It isn't a big secret - it didn't happen overnight. We know we are, we watched it happen, and usually we didn't do anything about it. But I do want to share a few things that may have contributed to our size, and things that frustrate us when trying to lose weight.
Once you get to a certain size (and it is different for everyone), there is a HUGE variation from size to size. So you can be in a size 20W pants - and be in that size for a weight range of 20 to 40 lbs in some cases. This range is why we sometimes don't realize we've gotten significantly heavier over a year or two because we don't seen drastic changes in sizes for just a few pounds.
This also works in reverse. We finally decide we want to lose weight, so we talk with our doctors, loved ones, friends, etc and make a plan. We decrease write down our weight, decrease our calories, and increase our activity. We are serious, motivated and excited. And then guess what -- nothing happens. Oh, the scale might start to go down - but we watch with baited breath as 10, 20, 25, even 30 lbs seem to fade from the scale - and we see no changes in the mirror. We don't go down a size in anything, we don't see a smaller waist, we don't have to go clothes shopping... nothing. And as everyone knows, it may take MONTHS for this to happen. So imagine dieting and exercising (and feeling like you are depriving yourself to a certain degree), and getting NONE of the positive feedback you need to keep you motivated. This is why I HATE the Special K commercials (and other types of advertising) that promised losing a jeans size in a few weeks. I can promise you that it is FRUSTRATING to listen/watch people who can drop a little as 5-10 lbs and they have to buy a new wardrobe because everything in too big!
So at this point that little voice pips up, "you've done good - I know you've tried. But it obviously isn't going to work for you - why don't you go ahead and have that second serving.. just for tonight. It obviously isn't going to make a difference in the size you wear or how you look. What can it hurt?"
And before you know we are back to the same weight (or higher) but still in the same size, and the world is oblivious to this.
So consider this when dealing with someone you know and/or love. Our health isn't a surprise or shock to us - it is a constant source of frustration. You may wonder why we are always yo-yo dieting, or trying the newest fad. We do it because we hope we can find something to get us over the initial weight loss hump where positive feedback is achieved and can be used as motivation for us to continue on the "getting healthy" journey. I know Plexus Slim isn't the wonder drug. I know I will have to maintain a healthy lifestyle once I reach my goal weight... Personally I just want to get to the point when 15-20 lbs down means a new pair of jeans.. so that I can keep my motivation up to continue losing!
I have a few other comments - but they will have to come in a later post.
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