Life's Just Exciting!

Honey, I Blew Up Myself!

I can’t believe it. 3 kilos in 2 months! All the weight loss I achieved through constant brisk walking and mountain climbing before the winter set in is now history. It would not have been so bad if I am not already overweight in the first place. To make matters worse, I’m getting big in all the wrong places! This problem is not only about vanity. More importantly this is about health, and economics. The health issue I know everyone will easily understand. Now I am saying this involves economic concerns, too, because when you can’t fit in to your clothes anymore you’ll need to buy new ones. Shopping is the last thing I want to do, especially in Seoul where everything is so expensive. Add to that the fact that I’m a lousy, boring shopper. I can’t spot the right clothes (fabric, style, combination) unless displayed in mannequins. Believe it or not, that’s how I shop for clothes. I look at mannequins and when I like what I see them wearing, that’s what I buy.

Now going back to gaining weight and inches, I searched the net again and found some answers. Most are not comforting, especially since they’re tied up to age and, well, when you are in your 30’s already you’re not exactly young.

The first thing I found out is about women having higher body fat-percentage than men to begin with, courtesy of rising estrogen levels at the start of puberty. Then there’s the matter of getting pregnant. Once you’ve been pregnant, placental hormones increase your appetite and needless to say, this leads to faster fat accumulation….urgh. And finally, as you get older there is about 5% decrease in your metabolic rate, which goes on and on each decade! As if these are not enough, fat tends to accumulate under the abdominal wall, making you lose your waistline over time.

There are two things we can do to manage the situation. One is to increase our physical activity bearing in mind that our metabolism is continuously slowing down so what we used to put in might not be enough anymore. Second is to decrease our calorie intake. Supposedly a combination of these two will make sure we stave off weight gain permanently.

Easier said than done, I know, especially when the weather is not cooperating. With the temperature constantly at sub-zero levels I can’t force myself to go out and do my usual brisk walking. But no excuses there because if I really want to, if I’m desperate enough, I can be more creative and resourceful. There are other activities that are ‘physical enough’ to achieve the same results as brisk walking. For starters, I love dancing. Although it’s not fun to dance alone, I can always search for a dance group or club I can join. Then there’s swimming. There are a number of indoor heated pools around that offer swimming lessons. I just need to get over the fear (or shame?) of having to put on swimwear side by side with slim Koreans. And yes, I am just reminded I can also play badminton.

Just thinking about all these options makes me feel a kilo lighter and about 3 inches sexier already. I need to start at once and resolve to continue and keep going. Unfortunately, in real life there is no such thing as a magic machine that can transform me from being fat to skinny. Unlike in the movies, I can’t just shout honey, I blew up myself and expect to be transformed back to my once-upon-a-time slimmer me.

posted by lala @ 11:25 PM