McFreedom

A bit off-topic (especially considering our namesake), but I accidentally ran across a great article on weight-loss while Googling for something else. It begins with an overview of how calories work, dives into why people eat too many of them, and explains why diets don't usually work. But the best part is the practical advice it gives on "Building A Sustainable Diet:" Don't drink any calories at all (since they provide calories but no sensation of fullness); don't eat any white (refined) sugar; don't eat any fried foods and try to eat low-density foods (fruit, whole-grain bread, brown rice, etc).

This was particularly interesting for me to read, as I believe today I hit a milestone in my initial weight-loss. In 1999, I hit a peak of about 245 pounds; for a man 5'8", that's a BMI of about 37.5 (30 and above is considered "obese"). This morning, I weighed 204 pounds (skipping 205 on the way down). My initial goal is 163 pounds, which would give me a BMI of slightly less than 25, which is the threshold for being "overweight." Since my total weight-loss goal was a whopping 82 pounds (that's almost a whole other person), 204 pounds marks my halfway point.

I say "initial" goal, because I've never weighed anywhere near 165 pounds since I reached my adult height. The lowest I've ever been at this height was about 185 pounds in 1989. As a result, it's something of a mystery to me what my body will be like below 185 pounds. While the BMI table suggests that a middle range "normal" weight for me would be more like 142 pounds, I have a stockier structure than most men my height, and it wouldn't surprise me if my healthy, fit weight was more like 150. Like a migrant on a long trek, I've set a big goal ("get to the Pacific ocean") and I'll decide where exactly I'm going to settle once most of the travelling is done and I can look around.

The scary thing to think about is that between 1989 and 1999, I put on 60 pounds. Which sounds like I was engaging in incredible orgies of eating and drinking, but it averages out to only 58 extra calories a week - basically I was eating an oreo more per week than I should've.