"How Much Weight Have You Lost?" and Why It's a Long Answer
I began my journey to a healthy life about a year ago, and really kicked it up in November. Recently, I've been hearing that statement/question everyone who goes through this loves to hear.
“Have you lost weight? You’ve lost weight.”
It's a wonderful feeling when people notice. Let's be honest, it's the purest form of validation of the goal you set out to reach. It means that others are noticing your hard work and commitment. When you watch your scale, you see the number going down. You see changes in the mirror. Others, however, don't always notice right away because the changes are subtle and over time.
Especially if they see you every day, they don't tend to notice the gradual decline in your overall girth, or the fact that your rump no longer extends beyond and over the edge of your chair.
The very first person I think who really said something to me was the manager at the gym; probably one of the most energetic, nice, and cheerful people I have ever met in life. One day I'm warming up for my work out as she's walking by and she stops for a second, looks at me, and remarks how much thinner I am looking. Needless to say, I nailed my workout that day.
Lately, I've been hearing it a lot more frequently. People who see me only periodically stop and remark about how I've lost weight. What's interesting is that it is always the 'face' they say they notice first. When people think about their desire to lose weight, they always focus on things like their waist, their hips, their chest, etc. but rarely do they think, "I need to lose weight in my face."
It is definitely something I've noticed myself. I was asked earlier in June to post to Facebook a comparison picture, and I tried to find some of "old" Ben and didn't have much luck; I was extremely camera shy back then due to shame and embarrassment of my weight. I shouldn't have been, I was as awesome then as I am now and just less healthy. So I posted a picture comparison of my face, which was what I found to be so striking of a difference.
Gone was this guy with a very round face, no discernible chin, and puffiness everywhere. Instead I was beginning to have the face of a much slimmer person than I have had in the past.
Inevitably, the next question arises is "how much weight have you lost?" This is always the biggest question people have, because regardless of whether they realize it consciously or not, this is how everyone judges your weight loss. It isn't how well you look, how trim you appear, or how much more energetic you are; instead it is how they can apply a number and judge it against other numbers they have heard in the past.
"I have lost over 50 pounds of bodyweight." This is my standard response now. It is one that serves me well. It's an impressive number, no doubt, but also one that is simple.
What you will notice from this charts a small decline from May 2015 when I first decided changes had to be made to November 2015 when I started working with my trainer to April 2016 when I started tuning my dietary intake.
Then I take a deep breath, and say "however, that's not counting any muscle mass gains I have put on." For most people, this creates a look of confusion. Some will drop it there, and invariably some feel compelled to ask follow-up questions.
Here is the basic explanation I provide to them:
“My goal is to improve overall body composition, not just to lose weight. I am lifting heavy weights, doing dynamic exercises, and changing my eating habits. I have gained quite a bit of muscle in addition to losing fat. Even though I’ve lost 50 plus pounds in bodyweight, I’ve really lost 60-65 plus pounds in body fat.”
I tell them this not to be annoying, not solely for precision, and not to try to make my 'gains' seems more than they are. I tell them this because I believe it is important to share in my new found belief that body composition is so much more critical to a healthy life than simply weight loss. What I have learned over the last eight months has shaped my view on my body, my health, and my overall weight and body composition more than any time in my life.
What I've learned from my trainer, my research, and my own tracking has probably been more instrumental to shaping how I view my own body, and why I believe what I've learned will ensure I never fall back into the trap of morbid obesity again.
