Weight vs Health

A few weeks ago while on spring break I believe I was watching the Today Show, and they were doing an interview about health that was a response to the whole movement toward "fat acceptance." The were talking to a woman who was not the "ideal" size, but ate healthy food, went to the gym regularly, and felt really good about herself. There was also a health expert (I think she was one of their normal consultants on the show), toward the end of the interview I think it was the consultant that said it is better to be healthy and chunky than a skinny couch potato.

I'm pretty sure as soon as I heard those words I though "awwww... I'm the skinny couch potato." Really my weight fluctuates quite a bit. I have been at my "fittest" at two different times in my life. The first was after all the training when I entered the reserves. The second was after I came back from China the second time (when people asked my favorite foods I would say veggies and fish, which worked wonders.) The most out of shape was the first time I went to China which was right after the army (I walked a lot and somehow thought that would be enough even though I was eating a lot because the food was awesome.)

So I thought it would be really interesting for someone (not me, not now at any rate as I'm going out of the country yet again in a little while) to keep a blog called the skinny couch potato. First tracking their bad habits for a bit, then trying to change them, so I kept a food log for a day a few weeks back.

12 pm- 1/2 grapefruit with spoonful of sugar

12 pm- Peanut Butter and Jelly/Candy pancake

4:40 pm- 0.75 oz Pez (5 packets)

5:15 pm- 4 pieces of asparagus

5:30 pm- Hot Dog, with ketchup, mustard and relish, no bun (because I was lazy)

5:30 pm- white chocolate chips

6:15 pm- 7 more .15 oz Pez (some after dinner)

7:00 pm- 2 more asparagus

7:16 pm- Gumbo and rice

Yeah, I didn't like doing that, and it would take some serious discipline for me to do that daily. Perhaps even more discipline than it would take for me to actually start running every other day. I would like to someday run a marathon or better yet a triathlon, or one of these, but I sincerely doubt I would blog about it, as interesting experiment as it may be.