Dr. Abby Gets Personal
As a passionate observer of weight fluctuation, I became
fascinated by my parents’ recent journey.
Mom was skinny for most of her life. I
remember Dad making malted milkshakes to fatten her up, when I was young. (None for me, though!) As she hit her 70’s, she spread into a size
16, but retained her bean pole legs. She
never really dieted, but went through brief periods of “watching her weight.”
Her weight gain seemed normal to me as she aged, and I was
happy that it would protect her bones.
This was gratifying, since the most exercise she ever does is pushing a
fork or remote control.
Early in her 70’s, she became ill, and lost about 20
pounds. She was finally diagnosed with”
Cdiff.” After a few months it was under
control, and she regained all 20 pounds.
Dad always looked normal to me, though he developed some
weight around the belly, as he aged. He
often did “calisthenics” at home, and before my time, was a very fit
soldier. His love for tennis kept him in
good shape, and still helps manage diabetes, at 83.
Last year, Mom underwent surgery for colon cancer, which
resulted in a shortened colon. There
were some complications and scary moments, but in the end, she was cancer free,
and able to live her life.
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She lost 30 pounds over 6 months during the ordeal, yet
gained every single one back in the next 3 months.
Dad was loyal and caring throughout, and moved into her
hospital room for the duration. They
snuck him hospital food every day, and after six weeks, he lost 15 pounds.
Afterwards, he also regained all of those pounds, in half the time taken to
lose them.
Did Mom and Dad pig out, during the recovery? Hardly.
They ate normally, and had absolutely no control over their weight. Their bodies simply reverted to homeostasis –
their normal weights. In fact, they
actually eat less than ever! Mom says
they used to have a steak each, and now simply split one. Their bodies manufactured more weight from
less food.
There was one other notable weight-related event. About 8 months ago, Dad fell on the tennis
court, and sustained some injuries. He
had to stop playing for a few months.
During those months, he lost about 7 pounds! What could explain that? Exercise is supposed to help you lose weight,
not gain!
Perhaps he lost muscle tone, which is heavy, and perhaps he
inadvertently ate less, since his body required fewer calories. Who knows, but when he started playing again,
he regained the weight.
What’s the moral of the story? Our biological set points are tough, sturdy
markers, which operate to maintain our optimal body weight. People naturally come in small, medium, and
large sizes, and try as we may to permanently alter our weight, it may be a
losing battle.
These observations certainly reinforced my belief to strive
for “health at every size, naturally.” Live a healthy lifestyle, to become your
personal best.
I also believe this experience offered my parents a new
perspective on people of size. Perhaps
they no longer believe that all fat people are gluttons. Gaining 30 pounds in 3 months was
eye-opening, and helped them to become more compassionate and respectful of
diversity.
