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A Lost Cause Or Is It? ( First posted on The barefoot Foodie.org on 14 Oct 2014 )

 


Take your pick of pain and/or pleasure

When it comes to shedding a few or more kilos , it is a losing battle, thanks to technology and social media. Before the advent of the internet and Facebook, where and what to eat is a matter of hit and miss. In the good old ( skinny ) days, we were dependent on word of mouth recommendations by foodie friends and the occasional review in print or seen in Makansutra publications ( Seetoh - are you still in business? Just asking... )

Nowadays, every time FB is opened, we are inevitably greeted with who went where and ate what, complete with delectable photos of food, glorious food. And it is not limited to Singapore, but pretty much all over the world. There is no escape from the onslaught. Several kilos and some years on, the perennial food critic in the Sunday Times has earned herself a loyal following, a double chin and too many calories to count on her marathon food ventures.

Age has its upsides and downs. You become more affluent,  travel more, and of course, must eat. Food is a comforting factor when dealing with stress - eat some more, with a tipple or two thrown in. What we tend to forget is that in middle age, metabolic rate slows down. With long work hours ( except for the blessed few ), exercise becomes vicarious and passive, and the spread around the middle continues to grow. And so the foodies prosper.

Except for a special breed of superhuman friends who run marathons, the rest of my social circle have gone on to live the good life, harbouring good intentions to lose weight, while pursuing the next cupcake or Michelin star as trophies.

I am one of those despicable, enviable few who ( until very recently ) did not have weight issues. I prided myself in eating sensibly, working out reasonably, and secretly thanked my parents for thin genes.

It evolved gradually. Wining and dining with spouse and good friends, a little dessert helping here and there - too good to resist. Then the bulges appear with a vengeance. " A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips" - It's all true. First, the jeans felt extra tight, and I bundled them away for a good cause - too hot to wear in this weather, anyway, no love lost. I tried dresses - horror of horrors, where did that baby bump come from? Check - not preggies. No worries, Spanx does the trick, and the bump magically disappears. And so it begins - a journey of self deception. Hey, this weighing scale is fautly - NO way it could register this number. The replacement came up with the same reading. Never trust these things! One more item for the Salvation Army.

One day, reality struck. I've got a wardrobe with tons of clothes that can be cashed out to feed entire villages, but literally nothing to wear! A good dose of vanity is great for the soul and one's sanity. It is also a great weapon against cravings of the calorific kind. It helps tremendously when the Supportive Spouse can be persuaded to labour alongside you in your quest as fellow sufferer and comrade.

Now for the good news. It is doable, tenable and can even be fun. It starts with an equation: weight loss happens when metabolic rate exceeds calorie intake. So the way to go is to eat ( much ) less and exercise ( much )more, to restore the balance. Life's unfair to all here. It makes the effort worthwhile when jeans can start making their appearance once again, the Spanx hidden, and you wave goodbye to UAF( in teen parlance - underarm flab )

Just today, someone I bumped into commented that I've lost weight. One gets a little apologetic about such comments, with the usual replies - yeah, been stressed/unwell/insomniac, etc, etc. I flashed her a bright smile and said breezily " Does it show? I've been working at it." She gave me a blank look and quickly moved out of sight, almost embarassed by the unexpected response. Hmm - food for thought!

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