"That's not very impressive"
That's what an old friend of ours said to me at the annual Chanukah party given by some other old friends when I told her that, as of this past Friday morning, I now weigh 123.5 pounds (56.02 kilos). (Don't ask what I weighed this morning, the day after the Chanukah party!)
So I patiently explained that I'd weighed about 132 pounds (59.87 kilos) as recently as last spring, and had lost about eight pounds simply by laying off the junk food at the office and eating only protein and low-carb vegetables while there.
I must say that I wasn't too happy with my old friend's judgmental comment. But I must also admit that, while I weigh close to what I weighed at our now-27-year-old son's Bar Mitzvah celebration, I'm also two inches shorter than I was then. (Yes, I'm being treated for osteoporosis.) This is rather discouraging. I've lost eight pounds in considerably less than a year. How much more weight do I have to lose at my current height for my weight to be "impressive?"
So I patiently explained that I'd weighed about 132 pounds (59.87 kilos) as recently as last spring, and had lost about eight pounds simply by laying off the junk food at the office and eating only protein and low-carb vegetables while there.
I must say that I wasn't too happy with my old friend's judgmental comment. But I must also admit that, while I weigh close to what I weighed at our now-27-year-old son's Bar Mitzvah celebration, I'm also two inches shorter than I was then. (Yes, I'm being treated for osteoporosis.) This is rather discouraging. I've lost eight pounds in considerably less than a year. How much more weight do I have to lose at my current height for my weight to be "impressive?"
posted by Shira Salamone at 7:01 PM
9 Comments:
That was awfully rude. Has she ever tried to lose weight? It's not so easy for many people. Congratulations to you!
If you are doing this for external validation, you will fail. Do it for health, how you feel, and how you look. As someone who has always struggled with weight, I can tell you that external validation is the worst reason to do this.
if you are being treated for o-porosis, you should consider lifting weights or other forms of resistance training (bands etc).
In this culture? If you aren't unhealthily thin, people will tell you to lose wait. Concentrate on what your body is telling you, note the people around you.
"an old friend of ours"
I do not think that word means what you think it means...
Dena, this particular friend has been thin for as long as I've known her, and works very hard at maintaining her figure--she's more careful about what she eats than I am, exercises much more than I do. That much, I'll say for her. This is also the first time she's ever said anything obnoxious to me, and I've probably known her for over 20 years. So I'm not ready to write her off just yet. But it was no fun.
Thanks for your encouraging words. Now, to go kick off the weight I gained at the Chanukah kiddush and party.
JDub, I suppose you're right about losing weight *for me.* I was pretty happy with my weight last Friday, but it would be nice to get rid of the pot belly.
Resistance training might work better for me, since my hand strength is not what it used to be before I broke both wrists about two years ago.
"Concentrate on what your body is telling you . . . " Good point, Larry. My body is telling me that I've gone down a clothing size size last spring--and that, if I gain back any more than I did this past weekend, all that new, smaller clothing that I bought will be too tight! This is the first time in years that I've been able to wear a size 12 A-line skirt without, um, too much hanging out in back. And I actually had to exchange a size 12 pleated skirt for a size 10--the 12 was too big!
Miami Al, I wasn't too happy, but I'll cut her some slack--this time.
I'd love to lose 8 pounds!! I'd be jumping for joy if I could lose 8 pounds, and I would be very impressed.
I agree with the other commentors.
Techelet, the real fun will be keeping those 8 pounds off. Wish me luck--and/or self-discipline, as necessary.
You are impressive and what you do is impressive. End of story.
Aw, I'm blushing, already.
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