Fat man in the bathtub

This post was meant to be about my frustration with being overweight. I once heard a great story from another runner. A runner told him that he knew it was me. His friend was running the Afton 50K when, at about 25 miles, this overweight man passed him. The man thought, “I can’t let him beat me, so I ran harder. After about 10 minutes, the thin man reluctantly said, ‘That overweight man is a great runner,’ and let me run out of sight. Love that story.

Then, my middle and high school years flashed through my mind. I listened to Little Feat, but I didn’t understand their clever lyrics. If you know Little Feat from the early years, think of Dixie Chicken, Feats Don’t Fail Me Now, or Fat Man in the Bathtub. Click the song title for a video. What did they mean? I never knew, but they were cool! Fat Man in the Bathtub is a powerful ode to sexual frustration. The girl keeps rejecting him, building tension. The best line is, “All I want is a hit-and-run!” Dixie Chicken is a great example of relationship frustration.

I wrote that title on this cold January evening to rant about health science and Body Mass Index (BMI). According to the theory, I should weigh at most 167 pounds, but I haven’t been that low since 1975 when I was a 7th grader. At 197 pounds, I ran a 3:24 marathon, and at 220 pounds, I ran 77 miles on the Superior Hiking Trail in 26 hours. Despite my efforts to lose weight, I’ve always been the big man on the block!

I have a friend with a healthy BMI of 21. Despite smoking, drinking, and eating poorly, he’s thin, weak, and tired. He struggles with simple tasks and can’t even walk a mile without feeling exhausted. However, if we dress ourselves both in suits with our BMI embroidered on the front, the person in the tuxedo is always considered healthier.

We judge based on our eyes and scientific data. Since the 1970s, scientific studies have changed our understanding of what’s right and what we should do every decade. However, the most reported scientific results are often related to corporate sponsors, which encourages researchers to prioritize profit maximization. It’s all about the dollar.

The mind is the key to health and well-being, but science often offers quick fixes instead of hard work, dedication, and self-care. Carry on, my friends, and live your life following what you believe, not what the scientists tell you is right or wrong.

All you quiet dreamers, carry on!

Comments from my original blog - I merged the blogs.

SteveQ

There's a group of people now called TOFI's - thin outside, fat inside - who look fit but carry a lot of unhealthy fat around their organs. There's also evidence that some people can be both fat AND fit; I recall a woman who finished the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon in 14 hours and was 50 pounds or more overweight. I couldn't do that (at my BMI of 19).  Thursday, January 16, 2014 at 10:19:21 AM CST

Anonymous

Bmi is a joke, for sure. It's impressive that you can do stuff well while carrying that weight. Imagine how much faster and healthier you'd be if you lost it. Calories in and calories out. End of story. Easier said than done, but good habits don't just happen at random.   Monday, January 20, 2014 at 1:03:49 AM CST