No, not a joke post.
I don't really know why I'm posting this except that I've enjoyed reading the stories here and thought some of you might find mine entertaining and/or alarming. I'm 5'0"F and was aware of the term "skinnyfat", but recently learned the term "normal weight obesity" the hard way.
So, over the past few years I'd started putting on weight and just generally feeling crappy. Even at a BMI of 24.5 (I know BMI has issues, of which this post is somewhat illustrative) I knew I was overweight, since the Asian BMI cutoff is 23. But I still looked quite okay in clothes, even slim compared to many due to my height and weight distribution, and maybe because most people seem to be on the heavier side nowadays. I still fit easily into size 8 skirts (US size 4), so felt "small" even though at a healthier weight I would wear 1-2 sizes smaller. Nor would I call myself "sedentary" - I don't drive, so walk everywhere, and could easily walk for an hour or more and feel fine except that my feet might hurt a bit. I also have a rowing machine and used it 2-3 times/week.
However, after a series of vague-but-worrying health issues and generally feeling crappy, I finally shelled out for a DEXA scan just to see what my body comp was like, maybe get some motivation to improve it. Despite everything, I was shocked to discover that my body fat level was 40.6%! That was just inconceivable to me. Sure, I wasn't skinny, but I wasn't... fat. Except I totally was. And maybe, just maybe, the reason I felt so crap was related to being... obese. Ack. The only upside is that very little of it was visceral fat - mainly hips and arms.
It was painful, but I'm so glad I found out, and I'm back on the wagon. I actually went from 58.3kg (128lb) to 47kg (103lb) nine years ago over the course of a year through CICO, but I've put it (almost) all back on due to eating badly and ageing (and obviously, not tracking). Right now, I'm just glad I caught myself just that little bit earlier this time and have the scan as a baseline. It's been three and a half months, and I'm back to < 54kg (119lb) so far, doing basic strength training daily, and feeling so much better. I never thought a few kilos would make so much difference to my energy levels, but at my height I guess every little bit counts.
Anyway, this is really just to say hi, and I'd particularly love to hear from any fellow shorties who have stories to share or are in a similar boat. Even if I do everything right, my rate of weight loss is like 1kg (2.2lb) per month, so I'm in it for the long haul (again). I know from experience I can't go any lower than 1300-1600 without feeling ravenous, so slow and steady it is.
tl;dr discovered I am seriously obese, despite looking completely "normal". I am basically the polar opposite of that bulked-up footballer with an "obese" BMI and low body fat.
I don't want to post pictures of my DEXA scan, but here's a copy of the breakdown table for reference: https://imgur.com/a/1jX1cG1
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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2wcJjIc
