Thinking about weight loss today. It is so hard to live in a culture that thinks permanent intentional weight loss is a thing, limited only by a person's level of laziness, and perhaps knowledge or willingness to change. Here I sit, knowing literally hundreds of chubby people, not one of whom hasn't tried to lose weight at some time or other, and the vast majority of whom have tried desperately to lose weight their entire adulthood at the very least and many of those going back into childhood. These are not lazy people. These are people who deny themselves satisfaction continually. These are people who learn to completely disconnect from their bodies while reducing calorie intakes to uncomfortable lows or oddly switching up the macronutrient composition in their diets. Many have binged on exercise in ways that don't serve them well, and there are few fat people that have not at one point or another tried purging or starvation. Yes, fat people know about nutrition and exercise. Yes they try. They try and try and try.
Fact, there has never been a study linking any method of dieting (including bariatric surgery) to significant, long-term weight loss. More importantly, there has never been a study showing that significant, long-term weight loss reduces mortality. (Trust me, I did a deep dive on this one. I really wanted to find some basis for all the focus on weight loss in our medical community!) I am not saying that increased body fat isn't associated with some health risk. I am saying that trying to get rid of that fat is not the way to handle this. For one thing, the incredible amount of shame heaped upon fat individuals is enough to increase anxiety and lead to health risks on its own. Also, unsuccessful weight loss attempts are likely to make people fatter in the long term and less able to know what foods and movement are best for their bodies. Shame does not lead to healthier people.
My own story. I have lost over 100 pounds at three different points in my life. All three times I kept the weight off for about 5 years and then rapidly regained it. All three times, I felt healthier and more like myself after regaining the weight. All three times I also felt horribly ashamed about regaining the weight. Like many chubbies, I had previously thought that if I just lost the weight it'd be a simple thing to never gain it back. Untrue. So untrue! I like to point out my history because longitudinal weight loss studies tend to list keeping lost weight off for 5 years as a success story. Obviously, this is also not the truth.
It better news, today my daughter JoAnn and my grandkitties, Theo and Bella visited. We had fun resting outside, but it is so, so, so hot!!!
Song in my head when I awoke: Lollipop by Lil Wayne
Recipe I want to try: Strawberry White Chocolate Blondies
Restaurant I want to try: Pond Pit BBQ
Birds I've seen today: American robin, Northern cardinal, tufted titmouse, black-capped chickadee, field sparrow, ring-billed gull, brown-headed cowbird, dark-eyed junco
Mammals I've seen today: human, Eastern gray squirrel, cat
Outdoor plants in bloom: red maple trees, daffodils, others I haven't IDed
Chores I'm putting off: cleaning the bathrooms, sweeping the kitchen, dusting, shaking out the entry mat
Did first time this year: put up the umbrella on the outdoor table
Numbers of calls from my kids today: 2 (both good news)
Current annoyances: glasses fogging up, sun in my eyes, heat
Weather: super sunny, 82 degrees fahrenheit
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