No luck with the clothes shopping last night, but we did get to hang out at the brewpub with some of Rudder's more entertaining coworkers,. It was the sort of evening that led to a shot of me attempting to create cleavage (you know, lock your arms together and squeeze) being loaded on someone's camera phone. She probably should have known better than to leave it on the table when she went to the bathroom. And of all the people I know, she's one of the likeliest to find that funny, or I wouldn't have done it. Especially not with only one beer in me. That may be the only time in my life anyone has ever said "Nice rack!" to me. (Not one of Rudder's coworkers, a spouse. I don't think he gets out much.)
This morning, I got up at rowing time (4AM) but decided to erg instead, partly due to the beer and chili from the night before and partly because when I left work yesterday the air was disturbingly opaque, because of all the fires in this area. The lake isn't far from work, and I didn't really want to be exercising in that stuff. I did 11km, though; normally I do less distance on erging days because I sleep in until 5 and try to finish a little earlier than I do when I row. But I needed the exercise, especially after trying on the dressy clothing I hadn't worn in a while and seeing how much of it was a little tight. I need to fix that.
I was appalled yesterday, though, when this BMI calculator told me my BMI is at the 23% percentile for American women. I am overweight, people. I'm in the recommended range, but not at an ideal weight. My mirror says so. (Just ask it, but only if you really really want to know.) Not all of my weight is bad; I wouldn't want to lose more than, say, 5-8 pounds as long as I'm still working out and lifting, but it still sends my weight up. And unless a lot more American women are lifting weights than I think, I should not weigh less than 77% of my peers of the same height and age.
Posted by dichroic at June 30, 2005 02:01 PMI checked out the various calculators and was pleased to find out that my target weight on the 'Ideal Weight' chart is just about where I thought it should be. Those damn Met Life tables have pissed me off since I was a MODEL. At my lowest I was still too fat for Met Life. People paid me to take my picture and strut their clothing and Met Life insisted I was toting an extra 25 pounds. Sheesh. If I fit their chart I'd be Karen Carpenter.
I'm guessing on you 5-8lbs would make a substantial difference. It takes about 12lbs to 'show' on me at all. I average about 20lbs per size jeans. I am a dense human being. Physically, that is. heh heh. ~LA
Posted by: LA at June 30, 2005 04:03 PMKeep in mind that the average American woman wears a size 14-16. That's where I fall, and I'm in the 61% for height/weight. I'm overweight -- you are not. I'm sure you probably DO weigh less than three-quarters of your peers. My impression is that percentile isn't judging whether your % makes you over- or underweight, it's just placing you on the continuum. Because, if you are in the recommended range for your height/weight, you are not overweight. How you perceive yourself when you look in the mirror is NOT what makes you fat or skinny. All it reflects it the body issues you project on your appearance. With your excercise and diet, I'd venture a guess that you're one of the healthist women I know, and that's the important thing.
Love your body. End rant.
Posted by: jen at June 30, 2005 05:05 PMYou know, some people *might* construe your last sentence to be a polite way of saying that 77% of your peers shouldn't weigh more than you. Which might be interpreted as you being judgemental about other people's body types and weight. I'm sure you didn't mean that though.
Keep in mind a couple of things. First, and no one likes to admit this, as the female body ages, it droops a bit more. That's especially true if you've had a child, which I know you haven't. Second, when a woman hits her mid-thirties, it's not uncommon for her to gain 10 pounds or so. Even elite athletes do, Paula. You just don't see it on them. It's part of the process of getting older.
Third, and I mean this with the very best of intentions, you worry too much about pounds. Weight is irrelevent to fitness. You are one of the fittest women I've ever met. I know that five pounds here and five pounds there adds up and that the next thing you know, you've gained 20 pounds and a dress size, but it seems to me that obsessing about ever pound is really unhealthy. Body weight can flucuate up to five pounds a week with some women due to hormonal things.
According to your BMI thingie there, I'm morbidly obese. According to the old Met Life charts, I should have died 20 years ago. Yet here I am--no health problems aside from the bum knee that keeps me from exercising, low cholesterol, low blood pressure, no diabetes, no nothing. Perfectly healthy. Healthier, in fact, that I was at 18, when I weighed 98 pounds. Of course, I can't wear a six six anymore, but I've given up caring about that stuff at my age. *shrugs*
I agree with Jen--you should love your body and take care of it, and the hell with what charts and graghs and the rest of it. You certainly shouldn't drive yourself crazy over every pound.
Posted by: Swoop at July 1, 2005 06:09 AM