Why I am not and never will be �thin�.

Patsy was not at writing group last night nor in Latin this morning. She left another passage by Ovid for us to translate, and I found out from the slide librarian that she had gone home for Thanksgiving, her father already in precarious health, and decided to stay since it seems he will not be with them much longer. This is very stressful for all involved. At least her sister and brother-in-law have moved back to the area (they lived in London heretofore) and, while they are suffering quite a bit of culture shock, will be able to look after their mother when Patsy returns to L�ville and her academic duties.

One of my dear Diaryland friends left me a note after my harangue about junk food and obese kids, an excerpt of which follows: �I read musings of a thin person here ;-), in the comment, �all you have to do is...�� Let me please address this, lest you (and she) think that I am one of those people who has no trouble regulating her weight. This is so far from the truth. I am not a �thin� person. I am a �normal� person, and only because I struggle every day to maintain a certain body weight. I have a BMI (body mass index) of 22, which is considered in the normal range. (I�ve posted a BMI chart at the bottom of this entry. I hope it�s large enough to read.) When the diarist in question met me in the flesh, my BMI was 21 and I was much happier about my appearance and the way my clothes fit me at the time. The difference in weight is a paltry five pounds.

My advice about avoiding junk food altogether is something I don�t have much trouble following, except when they have free cake at the Upper Crust or my daughter�s BF offers me an oatmeal-chocolate chip cookie his sister baked yesterday, both of which happened today. Sticking to smaller portions and not eating between meals is harder. I am 5' tall. My eyes are just as big as the next guy�s, but my body is a lot smaller and my metabolism nowhere near as spunky as it was when I was in my 20s. I just have to eat like a �normal� person to put on weight, and I need to really deprive myself if I want to lose weight, which is why I am five pounds heavier than I was when my friend and I met. So I know how hard it is to stay svelte and how hard it is to get that way if your aren�t presently. But it can be done. I have done it. It was hard, but I persevered and I lost weight and rewarded myself with nice clothes. The hard part now is keeping that weight off. It�s so much harder than it looks.

|

<~~~ * ~~~>