Weight Maintenance

I was a chubby adolescent. My brothers reminded me of this fact every chance they had, which made being overweight worse. I managed to trim my weight and was at the low end of the ideal weight for my height when I finished high school.

My last year working offshore allowed me do gain 40 pounds, which put me back into the pudgy category. Going into the construction industry soon melted the weight away and I was back to about 10 pounds over my high school weight within a year. That was my ideal weight, since the weight difference was muscle, which I gained with physical labor.

My weight would fluctuate, but gradually rose over time. When my gallbladder was removed I'd almost reached the 40 pounds overweight point I'd accomplished while working offshore. I think that was my wake up call. It was time to lose some weight, so I did.

Overall, I've lost 20 pounds and held this weight for a few years. Going by the charts, I'm in the middle of the ideal weight for my height. This is good, but I'd like to lose 10 pounds, or turn ten pounds into muscle. I'll eventually accomplish this task, but it will take time.

So, I've wandered all around the reason I started this post: weight maintenance. I've learned how, but reached the point I realize how little food it takes compared to what was once required. Restaurant servings are at least twice as much as I need. Small servings are required, with the added stipulation to eat at least three meals a day. Missing a meal is out of the question, since my gallbladder is gone. Unregulated bile has unpleasent consequences when the undiluted caustic is dumped into the intestinal tract.

My appetite hasn't diminished, but I'm not allowed the luxury of satisfying my appetite with the amount of food I crave. I guess this is all part of aging, which helps prove the point that getting old sucks.