Weight (today's reading): 179.4
Weight (weighted moving average): 180.3
Today's food: peanut butter cookie, 2 strips bacon, 2 tall glasses of grapefruit juice, 1 slice barbeque pork loin, potatoes lyonnaise, (apple pie with ice cream)x3
Today's exercise: day of rest
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Year 2, Week 2, Day 6
Weight (today's reading): 179.4
Weight (weighted moving average): 180.4*
Today's food: pop tart, banana, 1/4 muffin, 3/4 of a large movie popcorn, large cherry coke, fronimo's (gyro, pork souvlaki, fries, large cherry coke), 2 candy cane oreos, peanut butter cookie, cup of ice cream
Today's exercise: stake 5k
* new low
Weight (weighted moving average): 180.4*
Today's food: pop tart, banana, 1/4 muffin, 3/4 of a large movie popcorn, large cherry coke, fronimo's (gyro, pork souvlaki, fries, large cherry coke), 2 candy cane oreos, peanut butter cookie, cup of ice cream
Today's exercise: stake 5k
* new low
Friday, November 14, 2008
Year 2, Week 2, Day 5
Weight (today's reading): 180.0
Weight (weighted moving average): 180.5
Today's food: yogurt, manuel's (chips and salsa, chile relleno, 1/2 taco), pear, barbeque pork sandwich, small jello
Today's exercise: none
Weight (weighted moving average): 180.5
Today's food: yogurt, manuel's (chips and salsa, chile relleno, 1/2 taco), pear, barbeque pork sandwich, small jello
Today's exercise: none
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Year 2, Week 2, Day 4
Weight (today's reading): 177.0*
Weight (weighted moving average): 180.5*
Today's food: yogurt, pear, ham sandwich, piece of chocolate cake, 1 1/4 bratwurst, french fries, 6 candy cane flavored oreos, microwave popcorn, hot chocolate
Today's exercise: 60 pushups
* new lows
Weight (weighted moving average): 180.5*
Today's food: yogurt, pear, ham sandwich, piece of chocolate cake, 1 1/4 bratwurst, french fries, 6 candy cane flavored oreos, microwave popcorn, hot chocolate
Today's exercise: 60 pushups
* new lows
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Year 2, Week 2, Day 3
Weight (today's reading): 179.8
Weight (weighted moving average): 180.9*
Today's food: yogurt, apple, pastrami sandwich, 6 whoppers (the malted milk ball, not the burger), apple, shepherd's pie
Today's exercise: 1 mile warmup, 3 miles @ 8:30, 1 mile cooldown; 60 pushups
* new low
Weight (weighted moving average): 180.9*
Today's food: yogurt, apple, pastrami sandwich, 6 whoppers (the malted milk ball, not the burger), apple, shepherd's pie
Today's exercise: 1 mile warmup, 3 miles @ 8:30, 1 mile cooldown; 60 pushups
* new low
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Year 2, Week 2, Day 2
Weight (today's reading): 180.0
Weight (weighted moving average): 181.1*
Today's food: yogurt, 4 candy corn kisses, panda house (honey shrimp, beef w/ broccoli, lo mein, medium pepsi), bashas dinner special (2 chicken strips, potato wedges, macaroni, roll)
Today's exercise: none
* new low
Weight (weighted moving average): 181.1*
Today's food: yogurt, 4 candy corn kisses, panda house (honey shrimp, beef w/ broccoli, lo mein, medium pepsi), bashas dinner special (2 chicken strips, potato wedges, macaroni, roll)
Today's exercise: none
* new low
Monday, November 10, 2008
Year 2, Week 2, Day 1
Weight (today's reading): 178.8
Weight (weighted moving average): 181.2*
Today's food: yogurt, apple, nora's leftover denny's meal (4 onion rings, 2 cheese sticks, 1 chicken finger), 6 jawbreakers, 2 peanut butter cookies, posole, cookie bar, microwave popcorn
Today's exercise: 2 mile warmup, intervals (4x400, 4x200 @ 7:15 pace), 1 mile cooldown (total 6 miles); 60 pushups
* new low
Weight (weighted moving average): 181.2*
Today's food: yogurt, apple, nora's leftover denny's meal (4 onion rings, 2 cheese sticks, 1 chicken finger), 6 jawbreakers, 2 peanut butter cookies, posole, cookie bar, microwave popcorn
Today's exercise: 2 mile warmup, intervals (4x400, 4x200 @ 7:15 pace), 1 mile cooldown (total 6 miles); 60 pushups
* new low
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Week 53 Wrapup/Year 1 in Review
I got 26 miles in this week, and it went pretty much without incident. I set my alarm to wake up early for the long run on Saturday, but when I woke up, my throat was sore and I was coughing up chunks of dried brown snot. I said "forget it" and went back to sleep. When I woke up again, I contemplated not running at all so as not to take precious energy away from my body's healing processes. Ultimately, I decided that the next marathon is too close to be skipping long runs like that, so I finally went out for 10 miles at 4:00 PM.
November 5, 2007 is when I started this little project, so I've been doing this a year now. I went from unhealthy and fat and out of shape to healthy, 40 pounds thinner, and running marathons in the span of one year.
Um, yeah.
For the next year, I'm looking at much of the same. I've got three marathons scheduled, plus a few other scattered races here and there. I assume I'll keep losing weight, because that's what happens when I run more than I eat. I've been in dire need of some new clothes, but I'm afraid to buy too many because either I could lose more, or gain it all back. I have one pair of slim pants that I was really proud to buy when I started losing weight, and they just fall off of me now. I'd hate to buy a bunch more clothes now, and have them start falling off in a couple of months. Conversely, I'd hate to buy them a little small and have them get too tight as I chunk out again. I don't quite know what to do about that other than to pick a weight and stick with it. Basically, if my weight starts getting too low, or otherwise gets to a point I like, I'll start actively eating more to level it out, and then go buy clothes to fit.
One change I'll make is to stop tracking my blood pressure. I'll check it every week or two to see where it is, but I've pretty much got that licked now. So, I'm not going to compulsively track it anymore. The actual measurements I took were all over the place, but once I enter it into Excel and have it graph a trend line, you can see the definite downward trend:
Year 1 in Review
Briefly summarized, here's what I did for a year:
In November, I started this project of tracking what I eat, tracking my blood pressure, and tracking my exercise with the intent of seeing how far I could get in eight weeks. I made a specific plan to start running again with the only goal to be able to run 3 miles or 30 minutes without stopping. I got some new shoes, and started a specific running schedule. I had everything mapped out with intervals of walking and running, starting with only 1 minute of running, then ramping up to increasing lengths of runs and decreasing lengths of walks. The high point of my weight was November 8th, with 222 pounds (this was not my all time high, unfortunately).
At the beginning of December, I did the Tucson Half-Marathon, running 1/4 mile for every 3/4 mile that I walked. It was a little bit more than I should have done at that point, and I was out of commission for a week with soreness and a hurt foot. The foot kept bothering me, and I didn't make a whole lot of progress the rest of the month. I got to the point where I could run 7 minutes at a time, but ultimately felt that eight weeks wasn't enough time to really gauge an overall change in my health. So, I extended my plan.
I was sick a lot in January, which caused me to miss a lot of runs. I also went to Mexico for a while, which slowed down my weight loss considerably. Still, by the end of the month I had worked up to the point where I could do 14 minutes of running twice with only 2 minutes of walking between. Also, I got bit by a dog.
In February, I finally made the goal of being able to run 30 minutes uninterrupted, and by the end of the month was running 5 miles. I also ran a 5k with a time of 28:33.
At the beginning of March, I baited my little brother Steven into running a 10k with no training at all, thinking that I could beat him handily since I had been running a few months. I got the shin splints really bad at the beginning of the month, and was pretty crippled by the time of the 10k at the end of the month. I did the 10k in 1:03:17 and suffered a very humiliating defeat. I had my first daily weigh-in under 200 pounds, which was the first time in 10 years.
I took a lot of April off to rest my shin splints, then finally went to the doctor about it. He diagnosed me with flat feet and overpronation and prescribed inserts and/or stability shoes. I got inserts, then later got new shoes, and my shins have been fine since. At the end of April, I decided to start marathon training for 3 reasons. One, I need a schedule or a goal to keep going and I couldn't think of anything else to do since there weren't any 5k or 10k races in the summer here. Two, Scott was goading me into trying for the Park City Marathon, and I wanted to prove to him that it's impossible to train for a marathon in the summer in Tucson. Three, if I didn't die training, I would actually have the option of doing it.
May was all marathon training, and I was beginning to discover just how difficult it was to run in the heat.
In June, we went on a cruise and then to Walt Disney World. I had intended to keep up my training schedule on the ship and in Florida, but didn't. I had built a couple of extra weeks into the schedule, so this was not a big deal. So, I ran more and it got hotter.
July was hotter still, and I began to set my affairs in order preparatory to my certain demise. I also decided to actually commit to the marathon.
In August, I ran said marathon with Scott and Shane. I didn't do that well time-wise, but I finished, and I had a much easier time of it than my long runs in training. I also got a bloody nipple earlier in the month, and some new shoes later in the month.
In September, I ran a mountain race in Vegas, then ran up Mt. Wrightson the next week.
For the first couple of weeks of October, I was really sore from the mountain run, so it took a while to get back to a normal running schedule. I got my lab results back this month, and they were impressive, showing me in excellent health.
So that brings me to now. Next week: the Stake 5k!
November 5, 2007 is when I started this little project, so I've been doing this a year now. I went from unhealthy and fat and out of shape to healthy, 40 pounds thinner, and running marathons in the span of one year.
Um, yeah.
For the next year, I'm looking at much of the same. I've got three marathons scheduled, plus a few other scattered races here and there. I assume I'll keep losing weight, because that's what happens when I run more than I eat. I've been in dire need of some new clothes, but I'm afraid to buy too many because either I could lose more, or gain it all back. I have one pair of slim pants that I was really proud to buy when I started losing weight, and they just fall off of me now. I'd hate to buy a bunch more clothes now, and have them start falling off in a couple of months. Conversely, I'd hate to buy them a little small and have them get too tight as I chunk out again. I don't quite know what to do about that other than to pick a weight and stick with it. Basically, if my weight starts getting too low, or otherwise gets to a point I like, I'll start actively eating more to level it out, and then go buy clothes to fit.
One change I'll make is to stop tracking my blood pressure. I'll check it every week or two to see where it is, but I've pretty much got that licked now. So, I'm not going to compulsively track it anymore. The actual measurements I took were all over the place, but once I enter it into Excel and have it graph a trend line, you can see the definite downward trend:
Year 1 in Review
Briefly summarized, here's what I did for a year:
In November, I started this project of tracking what I eat, tracking my blood pressure, and tracking my exercise with the intent of seeing how far I could get in eight weeks. I made a specific plan to start running again with the only goal to be able to run 3 miles or 30 minutes without stopping. I got some new shoes, and started a specific running schedule. I had everything mapped out with intervals of walking and running, starting with only 1 minute of running, then ramping up to increasing lengths of runs and decreasing lengths of walks. The high point of my weight was November 8th, with 222 pounds (this was not my all time high, unfortunately).
At the beginning of December, I did the Tucson Half-Marathon, running 1/4 mile for every 3/4 mile that I walked. It was a little bit more than I should have done at that point, and I was out of commission for a week with soreness and a hurt foot. The foot kept bothering me, and I didn't make a whole lot of progress the rest of the month. I got to the point where I could run 7 minutes at a time, but ultimately felt that eight weeks wasn't enough time to really gauge an overall change in my health. So, I extended my plan.
I was sick a lot in January, which caused me to miss a lot of runs. I also went to Mexico for a while, which slowed down my weight loss considerably. Still, by the end of the month I had worked up to the point where I could do 14 minutes of running twice with only 2 minutes of walking between. Also, I got bit by a dog.
In February, I finally made the goal of being able to run 30 minutes uninterrupted, and by the end of the month was running 5 miles. I also ran a 5k with a time of 28:33.
At the beginning of March, I baited my little brother Steven into running a 10k with no training at all, thinking that I could beat him handily since I had been running a few months. I got the shin splints really bad at the beginning of the month, and was pretty crippled by the time of the 10k at the end of the month. I did the 10k in 1:03:17 and suffered a very humiliating defeat. I had my first daily weigh-in under 200 pounds, which was the first time in 10 years.
I took a lot of April off to rest my shin splints, then finally went to the doctor about it. He diagnosed me with flat feet and overpronation and prescribed inserts and/or stability shoes. I got inserts, then later got new shoes, and my shins have been fine since. At the end of April, I decided to start marathon training for 3 reasons. One, I need a schedule or a goal to keep going and I couldn't think of anything else to do since there weren't any 5k or 10k races in the summer here. Two, Scott was goading me into trying for the Park City Marathon, and I wanted to prove to him that it's impossible to train for a marathon in the summer in Tucson. Three, if I didn't die training, I would actually have the option of doing it.
May was all marathon training, and I was beginning to discover just how difficult it was to run in the heat.
In June, we went on a cruise and then to Walt Disney World. I had intended to keep up my training schedule on the ship and in Florida, but didn't. I had built a couple of extra weeks into the schedule, so this was not a big deal. So, I ran more and it got hotter.
July was hotter still, and I began to set my affairs in order preparatory to my certain demise. I also decided to actually commit to the marathon.
In August, I ran said marathon with Scott and Shane. I didn't do that well time-wise, but I finished, and I had a much easier time of it than my long runs in training. I also got a bloody nipple earlier in the month, and some new shoes later in the month.
In September, I ran a mountain race in Vegas, then ran up Mt. Wrightson the next week.
For the first couple of weeks of October, I was really sore from the mountain run, so it took a while to get back to a normal running schedule. I got my lab results back this month, and they were impressive, showing me in excellent health.
So that brings me to now. Next week: the Stake 5k!
Year 2, Day 5
Weight (today's reading): 179.6
Weight (weighted moving average): 181.4*
Today's food: 2 fish burritos, 1/2 quesadilla, shepherd's pie, 3 cookie bars, popcorn, 6 snickerdoodles
Today's exercise: day of rest
* new low
Weight (weighted moving average): 181.4*
Today's food: 2 fish burritos, 1/2 quesadilla, shepherd's pie, 3 cookie bars, popcorn, 6 snickerdoodles
Today's exercise: day of rest
* new low
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Year 2, Day 4
Weight (today's reading): 178.8
Weight (weighted moving average): 181.7*
Today's food: 4 pancakes, orange juice, 3 mini cookies, 2 fish tacos, small serving chicken chili, 2 mini cookies, chocolate almonds
Today's exercise: run 10 miles
* new low
Weight (weighted moving average): 181.7*
Today's food: 4 pancakes, orange juice, 3 mini cookies, 2 fish tacos, small serving chicken chili, 2 mini cookies, chocolate almonds
Today's exercise: run 10 miles
* new low
Friday, November 7, 2008
Year 2, Day 3
Weight (today's reading): 179.6
Weight (weighted moving average): 182.0*
Today's blood pressure: forgot
Today's food: yogurt, raspberry croissant, pear, pulled pork sandwich, jawbreaker, 3 mini cookies, chili cookoff (small cup chili, 1/2 pretzel with cheese, 1/2 chicken skewer, 1/2 beef skewer), 3 mini cookies, microwave popcorn, 4 mini cookies
Today's exercise: none
* new low
Weight (weighted moving average): 182.0*
Today's blood pressure: forgot
Today's food: yogurt, raspberry croissant, pear, pulled pork sandwich, jawbreaker, 3 mini cookies, chili cookoff (small cup chili, 1/2 pretzel with cheese, 1/2 chicken skewer, 1/2 beef skewer), 3 mini cookies, microwave popcorn, 4 mini cookies
Today's exercise: none
* new low
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Year 2, Day 2
Weight (today's reading): 178.4*
Weight (weighted moving average): 182.2*
Today's blood pressure: 129/80
Today's food: yogurt, banana, bratwurst, apple, jawbreaker, bowl of posole, tortilla chips, 2 sugar cookies, 1 liter dr. pepper, 4 sugar cookies
Today's exercise: 1 mile warmup, run to the top of the hill by the track 3 times, 1 mile cooldown (3.5 miles total); 60 pushups
* new lows
Weight (weighted moving average): 182.2*
Today's blood pressure: 129/80
Today's food: yogurt, banana, bratwurst, apple, jawbreaker, bowl of posole, tortilla chips, 2 sugar cookies, 1 liter dr. pepper, 4 sugar cookies
Today's exercise: 1 mile warmup, run to the top of the hill by the track 3 times, 1 mile cooldown (3.5 miles total); 60 pushups
* new lows
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Year 2, Day 1
Weight (today's reading): 180.8
Weight (weighted moving average): 182.7*
Today's blood pressure: forgot
Today's food: yogurt, banana, pulled pork sandwich, apple, 2 jawbreakers, sugar cookie, several bites of posole while I was cooking it, large dr. pepper
Today's exercise: 1 mile warmup, 3 miles @ 8:30, 1 mile cooldown; 60 pushups
* new low
Weight (weighted moving average): 182.7*
Today's blood pressure: forgot
Today's food: yogurt, banana, pulled pork sandwich, apple, 2 jawbreakers, sugar cookie, several bites of posole while I was cooking it, large dr. pepper
Today's exercise: 1 mile warmup, 3 miles @ 8:30, 1 mile cooldown; 60 pushups
* new low
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Week 53, Day 2
Weight (today's reading): 180.6
Weight (weighted moving average): 182.9*
Today's blood pressure: forgot
Today's food: orange juice, yogurt, 2 pieces of pizza, 2 cheese sticks, 2 donuts, 8 jawbreakers, donut, large pepsi, handful of almonds
Today's exercise: 60 pushups
* new low
Weight (weighted moving average): 182.9*
Today's blood pressure: forgot
Today's food: orange juice, yogurt, 2 pieces of pizza, 2 cheese sticks, 2 donuts, 8 jawbreakers, donut, large pepsi, handful of almonds
Today's exercise: 60 pushups
* new low
Monday, November 3, 2008
Week 53, Day 1
Weight (today's reading): 182.0
Weight (weighted moving average): 183.1*
Today's blood pressure: forgot
Today's food: orange juice, yogurt, pear, chili, 8 jawbreakers, chili, bratwurst, orange juice
Today's exercise: 1.5 mile warmup, intervals (2x800, 4x400 & 4x200 @ 7:15 pace), 1 mile cooldown (total 7.5 miles); 60 pushups**
* new low; ** I almost did the whole workout as written. I just had to walk 100m of the part between the 400s and 200s to catch my breath.
Weight (weighted moving average): 183.1*
Today's blood pressure: forgot
Today's food: orange juice, yogurt, pear, chili, 8 jawbreakers, chili, bratwurst, orange juice
Today's exercise: 1.5 mile warmup, intervals (2x800, 4x400 & 4x200 @ 7:15 pace), 1 mile cooldown (total 7.5 miles); 60 pushups**
* new low; ** I almost did the whole workout as written. I just had to walk 100m of the part between the 400s and 200s to catch my breath.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Week 52 Wrapup
I ran Monday and Wednesday of this week, but then the cold that's been being passed around by our family made its way back to me. So, I took the rest of the week off because I didn't want to risk making myself sicker by over-exerting myself.
I've been talking marathons with some cousins on my Dad's side and some cousins on my Mom's side. One group has looked at things time-wise and determined that the Ogden Marathon in May is the best target. The other group is thinking that St. George in October is probably best. I'm committed to helping both groups, since they're first time marathoners, and doing whatever it takes to do it with them. I've also just committed to doing the Running From An Angel Marathon in Boulder City January 3rd with Scott.
That's 3 marathons in a year. It's not the fact that I'm committing to 3 marathons that's insane. What's insane is that I'm looking at that schedule and thinking "Yeah, that's totally reasonable" instead of "Zounds! What am I thinking?!". Something has clearly snapped in my head. I'm also still planning on doing the Ragnar Del Sol in February somehow. And, last night as I was going to sleep, I was thinking, "Boulder City will be too hilly for a good time, and those other two I'll be obliged to stay with the first timers, so I won't have a good time there. Maybe I should work in a 4th for a time trial somewhere in the year." Yeah, something's definitely snapped.
BMI Rant
This week, the moving average of my weight slipped under the 25 BMI threshold for the first time. 25 is the most commonly accepted boundary line between the "normal" and "overweight" categories.
Now, BMI is sort of a controversial measurement. If you read around the internet, you're bound to find a lot of whining about the BMI and how it doesn't really apply in real-world situations. Usually, this whining is done by fat girls who are trying to be in denial of the fact that they are fat. There have been thousands of blog posts out there railing about the fact that "The BMI said I was overweight, but look at me, I'm healthy", "Real women have curves", "The BMI says Arnold Schwarzenegger's obese, so it must be wrong when it tells me I'm obese". Then, when I see actual pictures of the people doing the ranting, 90% of the time I'm thinking, "Well, you are fat..."
I'm not qualified to judge the health of those people or their ability to lose weight, but those things are really separate from the BMI anyway. For the sake of those people and anyone else interested, I'm going to now teach a mini-lesson on the proper use of the BMI measurement:
All the BMI is is a formula that correlates a person's weight to the square of their height. The formula was invented by a Belgian in the 1800s to try to find a way to accurately compare the weights of people of different heights and develop statistics of a population as a whole. The whole idea of assigning classifications to the numbers is a relatively recent phenomenon, and is based on finding the correlation between a population as a whole with high/low BMI and the increased risk of death or illness across that population as a whole. So, we're talking about really two separate but kind of related things. One's a formula that attempts to compensate for variance in height (yet fails, because at really short or tall heights the numbers get really skewed), and the other is classification of populations into categories depending on what number the formula comes up with.
To review, the only thing a BMI number really is is a ratio of your weight to the square of your height. Period. Full stop. Any interpretation of that number is a whole separate process.
On to the interpretation part of it. The current numbers used to define what your BMI "means" are from WHO, and classify under 18.5 as "underweight", above that but under 25 as "normal", 25.0 to 29.9 as "overweight", and 30+ as "obese" (where I was when I started this, by the way). The CDC in the US didn't use the WHO numbers until 1998, and previously had a higher cutoff for normal (27.5 or somewhere around there). So, ten years ago, millions of people in the US suddenly became overweight. Those people didn't suddenly gain any weight or increase their mass. Their body composition didn't change. Their health didn't change. They were just suddenly called overweight. It's kind of funny imagery, but it should just serve as a reminder that we're really only talking about statistical classification here.
I do believe that there would be less of a BMI backlash if the labels used were something other than "normal" or "overweight" or things like that. If the labels were to be "average" and "above-average" and more non-judgemental sounding things like that, it might be better accepted. The problem with using "normal" anywhere in your labelling is that you automatically stigmatize anyone stuck with the "abnormal" label.
Some other things about BMI:
BMI is not a predictor of individual health, although there is strong statistical correlation between high/low BMIs and poor health. If you are tall and very muscular, yes, you might be in the obese BMI category, but nobody will make the mistake of calling you unhealthy.
BMI does not tell you body fat percentage. Your percentage of body fat is a much better indication of whether you're unhealthy or whether or not you're "fat". It's also going to have a much bigger impact on whether you look fat. I know plenty of people who have BMIs lower than I, but have a higher fat percentage, or an uneven distribution of fat around the middle or the posterior. Looking at those people, you'd probably call them fat. But, even though my BMI's higher, you'd be a lot less likely to call me fat (now, anyway).
BMI is not a clinical diagnostic tool. Looking at someone's BMI without looking at the person behind it doesn't tell you anything about that person or about their health. You have to examine the whole person and their health history, symptoms, body, et cetera before drawing any conclusions rather than make any judgement based on a number.
So, if anyone is using a BMI diagnostically, they should be slapped. Any doctor that tells someone that they need to lose weight just because their BMI is over 25 should be slapped, just like any doctor who misses obvious signs of an eating disorder because they won't look past a "normal" BMI of 21. An insurance company that rerates a person into a higher risk class just because of a high BMI without considering other health factors or body types or measurements should be slapped.
The other side is that anyone who gets really hung up on their own BMI should be slapped. Anyone who feels stigmatized by the label they've been assigned out of the BMI categories should be slapped. It's a number and a statistical measurement, not an assessment of your value as a person, so get over it. Yes, your number puts you in the "obese" category. Yes, being in that category makes you statistically more likely to die or be sick. However, those are only predictors of populations as a whole, and your individual health can only be adequately assessed between you and your doctor.
There. Rant over.
Now that I've got that out of the way, though, I confess that I feel much better knowing I'm now a normal person. All you other people with BMIs outside the 18.5-25 range can suck it.
I've been talking marathons with some cousins on my Dad's side and some cousins on my Mom's side. One group has looked at things time-wise and determined that the Ogden Marathon in May is the best target. The other group is thinking that St. George in October is probably best. I'm committed to helping both groups, since they're first time marathoners, and doing whatever it takes to do it with them. I've also just committed to doing the Running From An Angel Marathon in Boulder City January 3rd with Scott.
That's 3 marathons in a year. It's not the fact that I'm committing to 3 marathons that's insane. What's insane is that I'm looking at that schedule and thinking "Yeah, that's totally reasonable" instead of "Zounds! What am I thinking?!". Something has clearly snapped in my head. I'm also still planning on doing the Ragnar Del Sol in February somehow. And, last night as I was going to sleep, I was thinking, "Boulder City will be too hilly for a good time, and those other two I'll be obliged to stay with the first timers, so I won't have a good time there. Maybe I should work in a 4th for a time trial somewhere in the year." Yeah, something's definitely snapped.
BMI Rant
This week, the moving average of my weight slipped under the 25 BMI threshold for the first time. 25 is the most commonly accepted boundary line between the "normal" and "overweight" categories.
Now, BMI is sort of a controversial measurement. If you read around the internet, you're bound to find a lot of whining about the BMI and how it doesn't really apply in real-world situations. Usually, this whining is done by fat girls who are trying to be in denial of the fact that they are fat. There have been thousands of blog posts out there railing about the fact that "The BMI said I was overweight, but look at me, I'm healthy", "Real women have curves", "The BMI says Arnold Schwarzenegger's obese, so it must be wrong when it tells me I'm obese". Then, when I see actual pictures of the people doing the ranting, 90% of the time I'm thinking, "Well, you are fat..."
I'm not qualified to judge the health of those people or their ability to lose weight, but those things are really separate from the BMI anyway. For the sake of those people and anyone else interested, I'm going to now teach a mini-lesson on the proper use of the BMI measurement:
All the BMI is is a formula that correlates a person's weight to the square of their height. The formula was invented by a Belgian in the 1800s to try to find a way to accurately compare the weights of people of different heights and develop statistics of a population as a whole. The whole idea of assigning classifications to the numbers is a relatively recent phenomenon, and is based on finding the correlation between a population as a whole with high/low BMI and the increased risk of death or illness across that population as a whole. So, we're talking about really two separate but kind of related things. One's a formula that attempts to compensate for variance in height (yet fails, because at really short or tall heights the numbers get really skewed), and the other is classification of populations into categories depending on what number the formula comes up with.
To review, the only thing a BMI number really is is a ratio of your weight to the square of your height. Period. Full stop. Any interpretation of that number is a whole separate process.
On to the interpretation part of it. The current numbers used to define what your BMI "means" are from WHO, and classify under 18.5 as "underweight", above that but under 25 as "normal", 25.0 to 29.9 as "overweight", and 30+ as "obese" (where I was when I started this, by the way). The CDC in the US didn't use the WHO numbers until 1998, and previously had a higher cutoff for normal (27.5 or somewhere around there). So, ten years ago, millions of people in the US suddenly became overweight. Those people didn't suddenly gain any weight or increase their mass. Their body composition didn't change. Their health didn't change. They were just suddenly called overweight. It's kind of funny imagery, but it should just serve as a reminder that we're really only talking about statistical classification here.
I do believe that there would be less of a BMI backlash if the labels used were something other than "normal" or "overweight" or things like that. If the labels were to be "average" and "above-average" and more non-judgemental sounding things like that, it might be better accepted. The problem with using "normal" anywhere in your labelling is that you automatically stigmatize anyone stuck with the "abnormal" label.
Some other things about BMI:
BMI is not a predictor of individual health, although there is strong statistical correlation between high/low BMIs and poor health. If you are tall and very muscular, yes, you might be in the obese BMI category, but nobody will make the mistake of calling you unhealthy.
BMI does not tell you body fat percentage. Your percentage of body fat is a much better indication of whether you're unhealthy or whether or not you're "fat". It's also going to have a much bigger impact on whether you look fat. I know plenty of people who have BMIs lower than I, but have a higher fat percentage, or an uneven distribution of fat around the middle or the posterior. Looking at those people, you'd probably call them fat. But, even though my BMI's higher, you'd be a lot less likely to call me fat (now, anyway).
BMI is not a clinical diagnostic tool. Looking at someone's BMI without looking at the person behind it doesn't tell you anything about that person or about their health. You have to examine the whole person and their health history, symptoms, body, et cetera before drawing any conclusions rather than make any judgement based on a number.
So, if anyone is using a BMI diagnostically, they should be slapped. Any doctor that tells someone that they need to lose weight just because their BMI is over 25 should be slapped, just like any doctor who misses obvious signs of an eating disorder because they won't look past a "normal" BMI of 21. An insurance company that rerates a person into a higher risk class just because of a high BMI without considering other health factors or body types or measurements should be slapped.
The other side is that anyone who gets really hung up on their own BMI should be slapped. Anyone who feels stigmatized by the label they've been assigned out of the BMI categories should be slapped. It's a number and a statistical measurement, not an assessment of your value as a person, so get over it. Yes, your number puts you in the "obese" category. Yes, being in that category makes you statistically more likely to die or be sick. However, those are only predictors of populations as a whole, and your individual health can only be adequately assessed between you and your doctor.
There. Rant over.
Now that I've got that out of the way, though, I confess that I feel much better knowing I'm now a normal person. All you other people with BMIs outside the 18.5-25 range can suck it.
Week 52, Day 7
Weight (today's reading): 181.8
Weight (weighted moving average): 183.2*
Today's blood pressure: forgot
Today's food: 4 pancakes, 4 sausage links, orange juice, 2 mini heath bars, popcorn ball, 2 pork chops, slice garlic bread, mashed potatoes with apple gravy, 6 mini snickers
Today's exercise: day of rest
* new low
Weight (weighted moving average): 183.2*
Today's blood pressure: forgot
Today's food: 4 pancakes, 4 sausage links, orange juice, 2 mini heath bars, popcorn ball, 2 pork chops, slice garlic bread, mashed potatoes with apple gravy, 6 mini snickers
Today's exercise: day of rest
* new low
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Week 52, Day 6
Weight (today's reading): 182.6
Weight (weighted moving average): 183.4
Today's blood pressure: forgot
Today's food: small bag of popcorn, apple, 2 scoop gelato, 5 layers worth of enchitaco, dum dum, popcorn
Today's exercise: none
Weight (weighted moving average): 183.4
Today's blood pressure: forgot
Today's food: small bag of popcorn, apple, 2 scoop gelato, 5 layers worth of enchitaco, dum dum, popcorn
Today's exercise: none
Friday, October 31, 2008
Week 52, Day 5
Weight (today's reading): 185.4
Weight (weighted moving average): 183.5
Today's blood pressure: 136/91
Today's food: rice krispies with strawberries, pear, apple, 20 oz dr. pepper, halloween party (3 sugar cookies, 1/4 slice cake, chips, handful of candy corn, glass of punch)
Today's exercise: none
Weight (weighted moving average): 183.5
Today's blood pressure: 136/91
Today's food: rice krispies with strawberries, pear, apple, 20 oz dr. pepper, halloween party (3 sugar cookies, 1/4 slice cake, chips, handful of candy corn, glass of punch)
Today's exercise: none
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Week 52, Day 4
Weight (today's reading): 182.8
Weight (weighted moving average): 183.3
Today's blood pressure: 140/91
Today's food: rice krispies with strawberries, 2 rice krispie treats, hot dog, arby-q, 6 jawbreakers, pear, 1 1/2 pulled pork sandwiches, doritos, handful of marshmallows, 1 dozen little iced oatmeal cookies
Today's exercise: none
Weight (weighted moving average): 183.3
Today's blood pressure: 140/91
Today's food: rice krispies with strawberries, 2 rice krispie treats, hot dog, arby-q, 6 jawbreakers, pear, 1 1/2 pulled pork sandwiches, doritos, handful of marshmallows, 1 dozen little iced oatmeal cookies
Today's exercise: none
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