tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post497850369861346871..comments2024-03-13T00:41:52.105-07:00Comments on Casual Kitchen: Weight Is Just a NumberDanielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02388302796031288076noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-28347866137386967662012-12-04T10:32:27.658-08:002012-12-04T10:32:27.658-08:00i agreed with you.i did gained weight during worko...i agreed with you.i did gained weight during workout period,but i realized that my body is getting toned and much fitter. i am sure this is bcse of the muscle gaining process.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-8287592972019394402010-09-23T05:46:05.626-07:002010-09-23T05:46:05.626-07:00If you shop at only one store or wear only one bra...If you shop at only one store or wear only one brand, size might be an indicator. If you shop at a wide variety of stores -- it pretty much means nothing. My neighbor is about 2" taller than me, but 50-ish pounds heavier. She's dieting and recently mentioned that she needed to buy new clothes -- in a size smaller than what I wear. As it is, her clothes would probably fall off me. We shop at different places. I also noticed this with my daughter.wosneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18118178432203615500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-5977526214931752592010-09-23T04:57:25.966-07:002010-09-23T04:57:25.966-07:00Thanks Sara. Yes, I could have been more clear. M...Thanks Sara. Yes, I could have been more clear. Muscle is more <em>dense</em> than fat. <br /><br />Reminds me of a trick question from a reading class way back in elementary school: "which is heavier: a pound of lead or a pound of feathers?" Duh. :)<br /><br />DKDanielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02388302796031288076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-55180806456088846152010-09-22T15:33:57.108-07:002010-09-22T15:33:57.108-07:00I think it's important that, when you say that...I think it's important that, when you say that muscle weighs more than fat, you specifically mention that that's in terms of volume. Basically, if you're not changing sizes but you're gaining weight (from working out), it's because of muscle gain and fat loss.<br /><br />After all, a pound of fat weighs as much as a pound of muscle. A pound of muscle just takes up a lot less space.Sarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18440891825778623249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-50267628066153841952010-09-22T04:36:34.089-07:002010-09-22T04:36:34.089-07:00Thanks for the insightful comments so far. And it&...Thanks for the insightful comments so far. And it's nice to see that this post drew out thoughts from quite a few readers with great attitudes about their bodies.<br /><br />A few reactions:<br /><br />Shane: on the BMI, agreed that there are flaws with that measure. BMI certainly has some idiosyncrasies, however, I'm advocating using it in context with other measures of your fitness. No statistic is an island. <br /><br />Julia, Melissa, Kx3, Matt, Katie, Chacha, Trippy and JS: clearly each of you are focusing on the right things and each of you has consciously chosen effective measures of your physical body that work best <em>for you.</em> Bravo. <br /><br />PS: Julia: that has to be the best (worst?) backhanded compliment I've ever heard!<br /><br />DKDanielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02388302796031288076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-80726182524482660812010-09-21T17:51:37.545-07:002010-09-21T17:51:37.545-07:00Not only do you buy more time above ground, but yo...Not only do you buy more time above ground, but you buy better QUALITY time above ground. A fit elderly person is easily in better shape than the average American. I know 40 year-olds miserably stuck in chairs most of the time and people in their 70s still having fun. They have their health issues for sure, but they're not waiting to die.JCShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07120939117292223815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-88176055766544466412010-09-21T13:30:22.195-07:002010-09-21T13:30:22.195-07:00Thanks for posting this-- sometimes it's too e...Thanks for posting this-- sometimes it's too easy to focus solely on that number on the scale, when really it's your fitness/health that matters. I think, as far as fat loss goes, the way one's clothes fit is a much better measure than the scale. Plus (as chacha1 already pointed out), WHERE you have your fat matters too. If a person is stick-thin except for an obvious beer gut, that is obviously not healthy, even if that person does actually weigh less than someone else who has "thunder thighs" but little waist fat.looloolooweezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13285571872065043306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-29710558980416666592010-09-21T11:58:35.196-07:002010-09-21T11:58:35.196-07:00I write on these topics all the time, so I am righ...I write on these topics all the time, so I am right there with ya. Weight is less important to me than SIZE. (I know I'm healthy at size 8, less so at 6 or 10.)<br /><br />And ability is more important than either.<br /><br />BMI is not absurd and not damaging. It's simply one of many different metrics, as Dan pointed out. And it is EASY, which is why many people rely on it. If it's the best you can do, then it's better to go by BMI than by other metrics that are harder to obtain.<br /><br />Getting a true body-fat-percentage reading is difficult and expensive, a caliper test at the gym doesn't really cut it for most people. Cholesterol tests you can only get during a physical, and how many of us don't have insurance right now? Or our insurance covers the doctor's office visit but not lab work?<br /><br />My personal faves are a full-length mirror and a tailor's tape measure. Those are cheap and easy for everyone, and body proportions don't lie. If your waist measurement is bigger than your hip measurement, you're overweight in the HEALTH sense, regardless of what your scale might say.chacha1http://www.ombailamos.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-63062681896772941442010-09-21T11:00:42.279-07:002010-09-21T11:00:42.279-07:00I was trying to preach this very point to a friend...I was trying to preach this very point to a friend who chided me for literally throwing my scale in the garbage. I, like most people, tend to get caught up in the wrong kind of numbers. My jeans (in various sizes!) are a never-fail indicator of how well I am monitoring my weight.Katie Mackhttp://www.fiveminutesforyou.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-19682076812186903802010-09-21T09:33:55.162-07:002010-09-21T09:33:55.162-07:00This made me feel good today. I'm not happy w...This made me feel good today. I'm not happy with my weight number right now and I'm not about to magically be okay with it BUT... when I was on my vacation, I hiked a lot. A LOT. One day for 5.5 hours. One day, I literally walked up a mountain. It was hard, trust me, very hard, but I did it. I have to take some pride and comfort in that. And now that I'm back, I'm also exercising and eating right. So hopefully I will lose some of that fat that I don't like in the coming months. :)Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12439733116558336290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-38435369799047015292010-09-21T08:16:21.569-07:002010-09-21T08:16:21.569-07:00I do not weigh myself; I'm in remission for an...I do not weigh myself; I'm in remission for an eating disorder (call it remission b/c IMO it will always lurk in the background but as long as I'm aware, I won't give it any opportunity rear it's oh so ugly head)--the scale is a major trigger for me. So I could maybe tell you within 10 pounds what I weigh but not with any more certainty than that.<br /><br />I'm far more interested in how well I run, do yoga, Pilates etc than what the scale says. Oh and my clothes need to fit. I don't want to have to buy new ones because I've expanded :-)<br /><br />So yes, my fitness level is FAR more important and moreover is better for me to focus on. I've been blessed (so far) with great genes regarding blood pressure and cholesterol. Here's hoping that genetic luck sticks with me in the second half of my life.edj3https://www.blogger.com/profile/11137939126171451654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-67645312884719861872010-09-21T08:13:43.633-07:002010-09-21T08:13:43.633-07:00While I appreciate your point about numbers/weight...While I appreciate your point about numbers/weight not correlating directly to health, I can't believe you're <a href="http://www.preventdisease.com/news/articles/081806_bmi.shtml" rel="nofollow">still promoting BMI as a useful measure of health</a>. While BMI might--I stress might--be useful at a research level for categorization purposes, advising people to measure themselves against in a day-to-day context is absurd and potentially damaging.Shanenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-30822437887310836832010-09-21T05:37:07.405-07:002010-09-21T05:37:07.405-07:00Great post! I'm forwarding this to my friends ...Great post! I'm forwarding this to my friends and family right now. Many of us drift to and from our fitness goals and it's easy to focus on our weight as the indicator of progress.<br /><br />I especially like what you said about strength, as my lack of strength is a constant reminder of how badly I need to get in shape. It's humiliating to have difficulty lifting something heavy when other people just as heavy as me barely break a sweat.Matt @ SpoonMattershttp://spoonmatters.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-48720492343850065122010-09-21T04:57:47.351-07:002010-09-21T04:57:47.351-07:00I finally figured all this out a few years ago... ...I finally figured all this out a few years ago... when my doctor was poking around my stomach during a physical, checking my organs and she says, "Wow, you have a lot of muscle under that fat." I've learned to be comfortable with my weight because I do have low cholesterol, low blood-pressure and can run 3 miles on a regular basis. And I know I eat better than most.Juliahttp://www.growcookeat.comnoreply@blogger.com