I’m getting fat & I like it

[sung to the tune of Katy Perry’s 2008 hit single “I Kissed A Girl”]

I had a doctor’s appointment today, and the nurse asked if I knew how much I weighed, or should she put me the scale.

I thought I weighed between 165-170, because I’ve floated in that range for the past 12 years. And I have no reason to believe it would’ve changed… except for CrossFit. And lots and lots of FOOD.

I took everything out of my pockets to get an accurate weigh-in, and shizam. A buck 75.

The nurse couldn’t see the smile on my face, but believe me, my huge grin was no joke. Excited, I blurted out, “That’s 5 pounds more than I thought it’d be.”

Her immediate response was, “Uh oh.”

Oh, but on the contrary my friend. That 5 pounds was a long time coming. It was a hard-earned five. Five pounds of solid muscle, sweat & consistency. Five pounds of squats, cleans and, well, LOTS OF SQUATS (Thanks Trey).

While I’m very proud of the weight I’ve put on, I think there’s a much larger problem with the nurse’s reaction. Her, like many, would automatically assume that adding weight is a bad thing. But that’s such an ignorant assumption.

While 1/3 of our population is now considered overweight, how much a person weighs is completely relative. Weight itself doesn’t even begin to paint a real picture of health.

Many of us would be healthier if we packed on some pounds. And the molecular makeup of those pounds means a great deal. Where we carry those pounds, how quickly/slowly we add them, etc. – all these things are far more important in determining our health than the actual number of how much a person weighs.

All pounds are not created equal.

Even when you’re trying to lose weight – which for some people, is what will help them become more healthy, and is a great first step – even for them, they should not be focusing so much on how much they weigh, and how many pounds they’re losing each week/month.

Creating & maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a lifelong journey, and how much you weigh should not be the focus of your story.

So what should you be focusing on?

Body fat, cardiovascular strength, great vitals like resting heart rate & blood pressure, a varied diet filled with vitamins & minerals (regardless of how much fat or calories they contain), lowering stress levels, positive energy, a feeling of community, flexibility & mobility, proprioception (a good sense of where your body is in regards to the world around you), smiling, stimulating conversation, laughter…

Here’s to a few more hard-earned pounds to come.