Fat Guy losing weight, still obese

[Fat Guy]

In the past five or so years I've lost more than 70 pounds.

I've already told the story of how, in 2005, when our son was in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) and I was running around the hospital 24/7 sustaining myself with Snickers bars and bacon-and-egg sandwiches, I experienced acid reflux for the first time. At the time my weight had crept up to over 290 pounds.

During my life up until that point I'd never suffered any discomfort that could be attributed to my weight. I could eat anything, drink, stay out all night, and I felt fine. I had plenty of energy and stamina. I was a person of great appetites.

I'd rarely felt the need to lose any weight. The research on the benefits of dieting has never been all that compelling, and I felt -- and felt the best evidence supported the position -- that if I was healthy in other respects then my weight alone didn't much matter.

2005 marked a turning point when, at age 36, I started to feel that I was slowing down. So I started eating a little better and pushing the stroller more. This evolved into a lot of walks to school (approximately two miles, mostly through Central Park) with our son, first in the stroller, then on his Like-A-Bike, then on foot. Getting from 290 to 250 over the course of three or four years required nothing more than slightly increased awareness of consumption plus a little more exercise.

Still, I really felt that I wanted to get down to 220, but I didn't know how to make it happen. Earlier in life I'd tried various diets -- Atkins, Weight Watchers, you name it -- and found them all gimmicky, temporary and not particularly sensible (Weight Watchers is actually not that ridiculous, but I find the culture of Weight Watchers annoying).

I've long known as an intellectual matter that counting calories is the only way to go but I couldn't stand the thought of doing it. Then one day my wife mentioned that there are several apps available for smartphones that allow you to track calorie intake. I did a little research and started testing a free app on my Droid called My Fitness Pal. (It is also available for iPhone and BlackBerry and, in all cases, is free.)

My Fitness Pal is pretty clever. If you're eating a commercially available food product you can scan the bar code with your phone and it can pull up the nutrition data -- you can then choose from the dropdown menu that you had two servings or whatever. If you type in most any food it has numerous references that can get you close to an accurate calorie count. It's somewhat less able to handle food in good restaurants: there's no database entry on elBulli's "pillow like a cocktail," but I just estimated that my 50-course meal at elBulli had something like 5,000 calories and that's how I recorded it. (It took a few days to bounce back from that one.)

The thing I like about My Fitness Pal is that it's very literal about the equation of consumption and exercise. You start the day with X number of calories (determined based on your weight, height and goals -- in my case 2,080) and as you eat food it subtracts calories. If you do exercise, such as the 40-minute walk to school (at what I estimate to be 2.5 miles per hour -- 199 calories), you enter that and it adds calories to your allowance for the day.

I suppose in the wrong hands this could be a recipe for fitness bulimia and/or exercise addiction, but I'm far too lazy to be at risk for those conditions. I've found it helpful. I've also found that on days when I do about 40 minutes of walking I wind up with enough of a calorie allotment to satisfy my appetite, whereas without that little extra bump up I either end the day hungry or I go over my allowance.

My Fitness Pal got me down to 220, a weight I hope to maintain -- I've been there for about a month now. I have some confidence in my ability to keep off the weight I've lost in the past few years, if only because I feel so crummy if I weigh much more than I do now. I may even feel crummy now. For example the other day I overate and was just not feeling right later on.

Feeling pretty good about myself, today I went to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) website and plugged my data into the . Here's what you get for 5'10" and 220 pounds:

Results

For the information you entered:

Height: 5 feet, 10 inches

Weight: 220 pounds

Your BMI is 31.6, indicating your weight is in the Obese category for adults of your height.

For your height, a normal weight range would be from 129 to 174 pounds.

I have got to say, with respect to the statement that "For your height, a normal weight range would be from 129 to 174 pounds," the CDC has got to be kidding. I'm pretty sure on my frame those numbers would be downright anorexic. With unreasonable goals like those it's no wonder so many fat people give up on losing weight.

Nonetheless, I'm pretty happy with my accomplishment, going from pretty obese to a little less obese.

[SylviaLovegren]

Congrats to you and to hell with the CDC's BMI. I was one of those annoying tall skinny people who could (and did) eat anything and never gain weight and who felt smug and virtuous about it. Then in middle age my metabolism changed and I packed on a good 30 extra pounds. Been trying to lose them for 10 years with very little success. It's @!##@!!! hard! So hats off to you. (The one good thing for my own personal saga is that I've learned a bit of humility...)

[Darienne]

Many kudos to you, sir.

My DH was a fat kid back when there were no fat kids. 1940s. Now he is a slim adult. He's probably the only person I have ever known who did the path from fat to thin and kept it off for about 30 years now.

He's 5'10" or so and weighs 144 or so. He's thin to everyone's thoughts (but his own. Being a fat kid scars you forever)

In the 1980s he weighed about 130 for a couple of years and looked like (here's age telling) a Biafran. He looked awful. He didn't think so. I can't imagine many 5'10" folks weighing that little, but he's of French Canadian and Oddawa extraction on his Mother's side and the men are skinny (and the women fat).

Why his metabolism changed in that directions no one knows. Mine, like many women's at menopause, went the other way. Rats.

I have no idea if this is of any help or interest to you, but there it is.

Edited June 13, 2011 by Darienne (log)

[BadRabbit]

Those BMI calcs are ridiculous. I am 6'2 and it says I could be normal at 144 lbs. I would look like a yogi on a 40 day fast if I got down to 160 much less 144. It gives me an upper range of 194 which is fairly reasonable but the lower end of the range makes me question the whole affair. Not to mention that it takes absolutely no notice of frame size.

[rotuts]

I congratulate you.

loosing weight in out culture is very difficult: witness the multi-billion dollar "weight-loss" market place.

repeat customers each year guaranteed !

I recently had to loose some wt as I began not to feel good. I did it at 1 lb / 2 weeks:

i got some regular exercise and ate differently: Im sure you know all the tricks:

an important one often over looked is to stop eating the rest of whats on you plate as soon as you sense you are full. just get up and put the plate away. then eat fresh or frozen fruit w no sugar.

snack? you bet any time: fresh or dried fruit.

Ive come across some interesting books that point out whats in the supermarket and in restaurants: I thought I was pretty savey but not so:

"eat this, not that" and "cook this ,not that"

look for them in your library or at a good bookstore.:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=eat+this+not+that&x=0&y=0

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=cook+this+not+that&x=0&y=0

cheers

[Zeemanb]

Great work! As someone who had to have his insides tailored to fit way less food at any given time, I know the struggle all too well. Even WITH weight loss surgery it takes a lot of work...getting off your butt more often in order to keep losing or maintain. Anwyay, you reminded me of the day I got on the scale and had dropped from "morbidly obese" to simply "obese". That was a full-tilt celebration day. But man, the CDC is completely off the wall...so obese I shall remain. I'm only an inch taller than you, so even if 185 would be considered "normal", my family would stage some kind of intervention if I attempted that.

[JAZ]

There's a lot of evidence that the Body Mass Index formula is the wrong tool to use when determining weight ranges for individuals, but it seems to be the measure that everyone uses. From a piece on NPR:

The BMI was introduced in the early 19th century by a Belgian named Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet. He was a mathematician, not a physician. He produced the formula to give a quick and easy way to measure the degree of obesity of the general population to assist the government in allocating resources. In other words, it is a 200-year-old hack.

And the LA Times:

But here's the thing: For how often doctors, researchers and politicians lean on this quirky, almost-two-centuries-old mathematical formula to browbeat us into shaping up, a number of experts caution that the BMI is a fairly imprecise tool — and often wrong — for helping individual patients appraise their health prospects.

The BMI is easy to measure, cheap to compile and track, and simple to convey to patients, said Richard N. Bergman, an obesity specialist at USC's Keck School of Medicine; but it was never meant to be a predictor of an individual's health risks.

I know Weight Watchers uses the BMI to determine members' weight goals -- one of the reasons I chose the online option instead of going to meetings was to avoid that whole mentality (I'm also not a meeting kind of person).

[Peter the eater]

Those BMI calcs are ridiculous. I am 6'2 and it says I could be normal at 144 lbs. I would look like a yogi on a 40 day fast if I got down to 160 much less 144. It gives me an upper range of 194 which is fairly reasonable but the lower end of the range makes me question the whole affair. Not to mention that it takes absolutely no notice of frame size.

Agreed, the BMI is essentially meaningless for a lot of people including me. Years ago I biked 100 miles almost everyday for 3 months going from Boston to San Diego. At 6'-1" and 230 lbs my BMI told me I was obese -- absolute nonsense. A better calculation should include age, frame type, certain dimensions, etc. I haven't weighed 144 lbs since grade nine.

[Mjx]

Congratulations... and yeah, the BMI isn't incredibly reliable: When my brother was still active in body-building competitions, he had some ridiculously low level of body fat, but his BMI indicated that he was way obese. All the BMI is really good for is determining is whether or not you weigh close to the average for your height and gender (the reason for any significant deviation is going to be pretty easy to tell).

The waist-hip ratio does seem to be somewhat helpful: I've found that at or below that ratio, I feel fine, but above it, something feels 'not quite right' (and not just because my waistband is cutting me in half, either).

[HungryC]

Can we all agree that BMI is pretty useless? Body fat percentage is a far better measure to determine whether your weight/diet are appropriate for your frame. Let's not forget that folks who look "thin" can have no endurance/cardio fitness and lousy muscle tone & flexibility.

[Simon_S]

I dunno. If you're an athlete then fine, BMI is useless. If you're not, and if your BMI is 35, you could probably stand to drop some weight.

The problem with blanket criticism of BMI is that genuinely overweight people take this as some kind of get-out-of-jail free card. Getting your BMI below 25 may not mean you're healthy, but burying your head in the sand with a high BMI probably isn't a good idea either.

In any case, congrats to FG on his weight loss. Given that "Fat" Guy now weighs less than I do, and is 2 inches taller, I'm taking this as a sign!

{Edited for spelling}

Edited June 13, 2011 by Simon_S (log)

[Susie Q]

Good for you!

I think it's better to lose weight to a level that you can maintain than to drop so low that you are constantly yo-yoing, struggling to maintain, and feeling deprived. Losing the weight is the easy part, maintain the loss requires the greater commitment.

[Darienne]

Good for you!

I think it's better to lose weight to a level that you can maintain than to drop so low that you are constantly yo-yoing, struggling to maintain, and feeling deprived. Losing the weight is the easy part, maintain the loss requires the greater commitment.

You have said it all, Susie Q

[rancho_gordo]

I wonder if they don't keep the goals absurdly low for insurance reasons. Do you have a pre-existing condition if you're "obese"?

I agree about the WW culture. I couldn't do it if it weren't for the web version, which i think is the opposite for some people. They like the meetings. I much prefer tracking 49 points to 2,000 or so calories.

[Mark Donnelly]

The best tool to determine whether you'r eoverweight or not is the mirror. If you look fat, then you probably are fat.

Another index (better than BMI) is the waist/height ratio. Anything above 0.5 and you are probably overweight. What's you waistsize FatGuy?

[rancho_gordo]

The best tool to determine whether you'r eoverweight or not is the mirror. If you look fat, then you probably are fat.

This sounds sweet and simple, but I couldn't disagree more. Not everyone can look at themselves objectively, physically or otherwise.

I grew up looking in the mirror and hearing my father tell me I was fat. I grew to think I was morbidly obese. I look back at my childhood photos and i was chubby, at worst. This tainted me for life. I look back at photos of me in my 20s and 30s and wish i could tell myself, relax, you look fine. I might add, you won't believe what's coming down the road!

Sorry if I'm reacting. It stuck me like saying if you want to lose weight, just don't eat so much.

[Darienne]

The best tool to determine whether you'r eoverweight or not is the mirror. If you look fat, then you probably are fat.

This sounds sweet and simple, but I couldn't disagree more. Not everyone can look at themselves objectively, physically or otherwise.

I grew up looking in the mirror and hearing my father tell me I was fat. I grew to think I was morbidly obese. I look back at my childhood photos and i was chubby, at worst. This tainted me for life. I look back at photos of me in my 20s and 30s and wish i could tell myself, relax, you look fine. I might add, you won't believe what's coming down the road!

Sorry if I'm reacting. It stuck me like saying if you want to lose weight, just don't eat so much.

RG, you have every right to 'react. You and my husband. I've seen his kid photos. He was never really fat at all, just chubby, but those words can stick in the mind forever and color whatever happens, good or bad.

[Special K]

Good for you!

I think it's better to lose weight to a level that you can maintain than to drop so low that you are constantly yo-yoing, struggling to maintain, and feeling deprived. Losing the weight is the easy part, maintain the loss requires the greater commitment.

Right, and it seems that Not-so-Fat Guy has done it right, too, slowly and steadily. I'm sure the exercise has done much more good for you than merely helped get the weight off. You're undoubtely stronger and healthier overall, and now you have the stamina it takes to chase after a six-year-old! Congratulations.

[angevin]

Don't lose too much weight, Fat Guy:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623133523.htm

"The study examined the relationship between body mass index and death among 11,326 adults in Canada over a 12-year period. (BMI uses height and weight to estimate body fat.) Researchers found that underweight people had the highest risk of dying, and the extremely obese had the second highest risk. Overweight people had a lower risk of dying than those of normal weight."

It sounds like you're doing everything right. If you're relatively healthy and you feel good, the weight you are is probably right.

Edited June 13, 2011 by angevin (log)

[runwestierun]

Congratulations on your good work. I would like to say that I really like Special K's new name for you, Not-So-Fat-Guy.

I may be alone here, but I have always been a little uncomfortable with your "Fat Guy" name. If I write to you, I feel like I'm insulting you. I don't want to insult you.

[Fat Guy]

Another index (better than BMI) is the waist/height ratio. Anything above 0.5 and you are probably overweight. What's you waistsize FatGuy?

I'm around 42" in the waist. I'm pretty sure I'm less than 84" tall.

Then again I'm not arguing that I'm thin. I'm still Fat Guy, just somewhat less so.

[nibor]

I lost 25 pounds over a couple of months last year using software to monitor my food intake. It was so easy. I could see from the software that I been routinely eating a few types of foods that contained huge numbers of calories, and in many cases this wasn't food that I even liked that much. So I quit eating it. I had to weigh items to know what to enter into the software. Also an eye opener. I found I was eating way more than needed to no longer be hungry. My choice of portion size had just been a habit.

[Fat Guy]

So true. I had no idea how much cereal, pasta and such I was eating. Now I'm having slightly smaller and more consistent portions across the board and it makes a big difference calorically -- without really changing my sense of being satiated.

[Beebs]

The best tool to determine whether you'r eoverweight or not is the mirror. If you look fat, then you probably are fat.

As someone who has struggled with body image issues (and still do, from time to time), I sincerely hope you meant this as a joke. To me, this isn't any different than saying that if you think you look ugly, you are probably ugly. I was an overweight pre-teen/teenager and it was really awful to be told by my stick-thin parents & siblings that I was fat and need to lose weight. The weight's gone up and down over the last 20 yrs, but it's only in the last 5 yrs when I took up long distance running & half-marathons that I've managed to lose a lot of fat and keep the weight down. But when I look in the mirror sometimes even now, I still feel like a fat kid (though objectively I am far from overweight, and am well within my BMI).

BMI is an ok starting point for determining a person's overweight-ness, but it doesn't take into account factors such as ethnicity, if you're an athlete, pregnant or breastfeeding, other underlying health conditions, etc. Physical fitness, fat-muscle ratio, cardiovascular health, healthy cholestrol & blood sugar levels are so much more important in determining healthiness, I think. You achieve this through eating conscientiously and regular exercise. And I'm not convinced that the shape of a person's body matters all that much.

Not-So-Fat Guy, you deserve a bunch of pats on the back - keep it up!

[maggiethecat]

Good work, Steven,and BTW, you didn't look fat to me. In my grandparent-speak you might have been termed "husky," as I, in my heavier years might have been called "A fine figure of a woman."

I'm not thin, at all, but I'm thinner than 90% of the women in my age range I know. For me, it's about eating everything I want, but eating half as much. I cut a hamburger in half, a slice of pie in half, a serving of pasta in half. You know what? I'm not hungry and don't feel deprived.

Could someone explain the waist/height thing?