You're a Different Person

"You're a Different Person"

At the weigh-in on Monday, as I was passing a fellow cohort member, she said, "You're a different person than the one who started in this program!" I thought it was an interesting, and somewhat surprising, comment. Although the person making it is probably not at her goal weight, I believe she has probably lost more weight than I have on the program. So I'm wondering, does she feel like a different person than the one who started in January?

Maybe she does. I definitely don't feel "like a different person." I recognize I might look significantly different (inevitable after losing almost 60 pounds), but I'm still me, flaws and all.

I actually would have expected that comment from someone who was NOT on a weight loss journey herself. In our culture we do judge people on their weight, and being "weightist" seems to still be an allowable way to discriminate against people and treat them like second class citizens. Losing - and also gaining - weight doesn't change who you are, and shouldn't (ideally) change how people perceive you and interact with you.

I'm 100% sure she meant it as a compliment, and I (after a brief hesitation) took it as one, and said something like oh we're all different than we were in January, but I meant in the outward sense only. I know the stereotype exists that people who are heavy somehow have character flaws - gluttony, laziness, sloth, lack of self- discipline - and so are seen as internally flawed based on their outward appearance. But I know I'm no better or worse than I was in January, just lighter.

The world may treat me like a different person, because I look different, but it would be nice if we could see through the outside and relate to people on the basis of other more important factors. But I know that's somewhat unrealistic. (Although it is the basis for the start of the movie Beauty and the Beast, where the beast judges the enchantress by her external appearance and pays dearly for his lack of judgment!)

I am happy to have compliments on my weight loss success and healthier appearance, but at the same time, I can't help wish that we lived in a world where people were judged and valued for who they are, not what they look like...

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Metabolism Test

Metabolism Test

Today I had my metabolism test at Kaiser. The results were expected (by me anyway) but still disappointing.

First, my metabolism was 18% below normal. That can be due to dieting/low calorie intake but there are many other factors including just having a family history of being slugs. ;-) And, I pretty much have NO muscles, LOL. Very squishy. My granddaughters love it for cuddling. Just like a marshmallow...

So for the actual test, you breathe through a tube for 10 minutes and it measures oxygen and carbon dioxide as you inhale and exhale. From that it can determine metabolism, and calories burned under different circumstances.

So if I never moved all day I would burn 1037 calories to maintain my current weight. Normal daily movement takes me up to 1336. And adding real exercise allows more calories to be eaten while without gaining- so for example 30 minutes of exercise takes the calorie figure up to 1454.

I'm actually not tracking calories right now, but it would be interesting to test this by coming up with maybe two weeks of meals at right about 1300 calories and see what the scale does.

So of course it would be nice to have these numbers be higher (a faster - or more normal- metabolism), but I was told they've seen lower! Age, hormones, lack of sleep, and stress are also factors that impact metabolism.

The paper they gave me with my results also said that my BMI was 25, which according to the chart I looked at was just over the edge from normal into overweight, but waaaay below obese, where I used to be.

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