A Lean and Hungry Look
I just went back and reviewed the video clips from last week's brief television appearance at Channel 7. I've seen myself in mercifully few still images over the years, though moreso in the new age of digital pocket cameras and cameraphones in a county swarming with photographer-bloggers. It has been several decades, almost five actually, since I've seen myself "in the movies" and that real-life imagery is even more humbling than still pictures. Seeing myself in video here, my self-image of robust-and-youthful has been thoroughly dispelled, supplanted by wizened, worn and gaunt. The camera doesn't lie. It isn't biased by our delusions of perpetual youth and vitality. What it sees is what you get.
Funny. I certainly don't think of myself as thin anymore, though I was underweight at least through most of high school. Truth of the matter is, if you take my height of 6'2" and weight of 180 pounds, according to the Body Mass Index calculations, I'm toward the top of NORMAL (and heart-safe) range and approaching OVERWEIGHT. I sure don't look it on TV. By other measures (electrical impedance body fat measurements taken in the PT clinic six months ago) I'm lean at 12% body fat. For folks more toward the mesomorphic, muscular side, BMI isn't a very good yardstick of healthy weight. Even folks like Densel Washington and Arnold Schwarzenegger are "overweight" using BMI.
Still, if you haven't recently, you can easily calculate your own body mass and see where you fall in the "at risk" categories. You should do the same for your children and set goals for getting high BMIs down into safer ranges before they are beyond control.
By design, I have lost five pounds since I started working in the clinic last December and had a good set of scales to weigh myself on a couple of times a week. I was gaining girth around the middle and too cheap to buy new pants. I'm happy to say that today, I have a few pair of pants that don't require me to hold my breath while wearing them anymore. How? From my long-traditional breakfast duo of cereal-and-toast, I cut out the two pieces of toast (and usually jelly) and that change alone, over time, has brought me back a bit into the heart-safe BMI range. I just wish I hadn't lost weight in my face. And while I'm wishing, I'll just add back a little pepper to the increasingly salt-colored beard.
Comments
I'm 6'1" and weigh 180 pounds so according to the BMI calculator I'm on the high end of normal also. Something is terribly wrong with the BMI formula because the low end of "normal" for someone 6'1" tall is 140 pounds! Who knew new "heroin chic" was normal.
Sean
Posted by: Sean Pecor | August 27, 2006 7:35 AM
What happened to the peanut butter and tomato sandwich? I make tomato marmalade thing that is great on a pb&j. Enjoy your blog...
Posted by: sharonb | August 27, 2006 9:39 AM
I thought your tv performance was very good, much better than I could have done. I did have to laugh when you were asked what your book was about and you let out a big audible sigh while trying to explain it.
Posted by: Jim | August 27, 2006 8:35 PM
Ah, Fred... the heavy sigh when asked what the book is about. It isn't that complicated, people will understand; there is a sound bite, find it - keep it - use it. My choice "its about my love for this place, my love of the people, the nature, the silliness, the sadness..."
Posted by: Carl | August 27, 2006 10:04 PM
Fred, I think "wizened, worn, and gaunt" is a bit harsh. No, you don't look young. We don't get to do that forever. Also, you certainly didn't come off as old and tired in the interviews.
Sweat it not.
Larry
Posted by: Larry Hunsucker | August 28, 2006 11:04 PM