I’ve discussed the concept of weight as an indicator of health. We know it makes no sense to assume that any given person is in a state of diminished health if we don’t actually know anything about them except their physical appearance. In his excellent blog, Dr. Arya Sharma references the “limited utility of BMI in predicting health status.” I find it interesting that he does use the word “predicting” which would suggest that weight would also not constitute a risk factor, maybe not even long term. That is where I might argue semantics. Yes, even with a doctor.
I was always overweight but did not become about 100lbs overweight until my thirties. I stayed at that level. I was quite healthy, if not terribly comfortable, throughout that decade. Things started to change in my forties. My hormones started to veer out of whack. I’d quit smoking in my mid-twenties but I developed asthma that would become severe if I caught any kind of respiratory ailment. My blood sugar started to climb and I was pre-diabetic. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, fatty liver, the whole bit. By the time I was 44, I was on seven prescriptions.
Fast-forward to the happy ending, of course all these conditions cleared up completely when I lost weight. I haven’t been on any medications for all these years now except that I am back on hormones because I’m gettin’ old. But I had an interesting experience this week.
In my book, I extensively discuss the need to become re-connected with your body. When we become very overweight, many of us will retreat into our heads and disconnect from our physical presence, especially when we experience the onset of physical limitations or if medical conditions frighten us.
I am very physically aware at this point in my life, particularly since I have regained some weight. Believe me, I feel every ounce of it and I don’t like it one bit! I’m working on it as I have discussed in my new blog website, DeclareBodyTruth.com.
I had to go to the doctor this week (for a lady thing) and of course they took my blood pressure. I was stunned that my BP was 130 over 80! That is considered “high normal.” I had been on blood pressure medication for several years previously and it was the condition that took the longest to respond to weight loss but I’ve been a rock solid 120 over 80 for years now.
I have to admit it’s stunning to me that I put on a little bit of weight and my body immediately responds with a little pop in my blood pressure. WOW. It makes me feel like a very sensitive instrument. I’m extremely eager to get this extra weight off but now I’m very intrigued to see if my blood pressure drops right back down along with the number on the scale. If it does not, then I will have to look for some other explanation. Maybe I’m just gettin’ old!
