Something weird is happening.
I’ve tended to hang around the same weight, give or take a
few pounds, depending mostly, I think, on my alcohol and salt intake.
It’s been SO consistent, in fact, that I’ve wondered whether
it’s my weight
set point and whether I’m more or less doomed to stay here forever.
Because even though #100daysofhealth wasn’t supposed to be
about weight loss but about living in as healthy a way as I could, mentally and
physically, I have to confess that I assumed that I’d lose 20 or 30 pounds as a
side effect. But nope, I’ve been bouncing around this same weight for months now.
At the same time, several people—none of whom I know to be
the type who just randomly compliment—have asked me what I’ve been doing to
lose weight. I’ve taken to telling them, “I’m not losing weight. I’m just
reallocating it”.
I really wish I’d gotten a BMI reading back at the beginning
of all of this, because the only thing I can figure is that I must be gaining
muscle. I’m definitely stronger; I can both do things I couldn’t do in May and
tolerate things (like standing on my feet for 2 days in a row) that I couldn’t
tolerate in May.
And I’ve become 100% convinced through my sample size of 1
that exercise does NOT peel weight off a body (which makes sense when you think
about it—the physical process that builds up muscle tissue is completely separate
from the one that breaks down fat tissue. They’re only related in the sense
that fat can provide energy for movement, but so can the carbs I just ate, so
one doesn’t even directly lead to the other. Plus, it takes like an hour of
running to burn of the “energy” in one Oreo, so trying to outrun one’s eating
habits is kind of crazy).
But, hey, if people think that I look better despite my
non-weightloss, I’ll take it. I can’t see the difference, but I can feel it. So
bring on the compliments, and I’ll keep deflecting them like a pro.
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