Monday, July 22, 2013

Stupid Body, Anyway

I may have whined here before about how much fun it is for me to maintain my weight. If I haven't, the short version is that I have a very high metabolism and sometimes it's actual work to eat enough to keep from losing weight.

Anyone who wants to scream at me for whining about that (and those of you struggling to lose weight I hear the build up starting from here) can do it on their own dime. I'm not saying that my weight issues are bigger, smaller, harder, easier or anything-ier than anyone else's. That doesn't change the fact that they exist and sometimes they suck, and combined with mental issues created by years of school officials and doctors trying to convince me I actually had an eating disorder and that's why I'm skinny it can make for some rough moments inside my head. (As a brief aside, have you seen the eating disorder scare tactic pictures they use? Spend four or five years with them shoving those anorexic skeletons in your face trying to get you to admit to an eating disorder you don't have, during formative body-image years, and it'll give you baggage to carry for a nice long time too.)

That being said I'm mostly ok with it now. I pretty much only lose my mind about it when I've actually lost weight, and when I remember to manage things correctly that doesn't happen too often.

Part of managing things correctly is listening to my body. If I'm craving something I figure there's a reason, most of the time. Now, I'm not saying that every time I'm craving chocolate is because my body needs it, mind you, but when I've been out in the sun all day and holy crap I want some salty chips it's because I need the salt.

That can happen with other more complicated things too, so I try to listen to my body. Unfortunately sometimes my body is a retard. Or maybe a two year old. It's like every once in a while I have this conversation:

Body: I'm craving something!

Me: Ok, what do you want?

Body: Something!

Me: Specifically, what are you craving?

Body: Something specific!

Me: Seriously just tell me what you want and I'll get it for you.

Body: Stuff!

Me: You've got to be shitting me. Well you're telling me we've got the munchies so we're just going to have some Cheetos and move on. If you figure out what you want let me know.

Body: EW NO NOT CHEETOS DISGUSTING GROSS NO EAT NO NO NO!

Me: Jesus, fine, stop throwing the stomach around we won't have Cheetos. Make a suggestion.

Body: Snacks!

Me: Oh for fuck's sake. Chocolate chip muffin.

Body: NO NOT MUFFIN DISGUSTING GROSS NO EAT NO NO NO!

Me: Ok fuck you we're not eating anything, we had lunch, we'll be fine.

Body: Buuut muuunchhiiieeessss

And so on and so forth, until either I figure out what my body is craving or say to hell with it and gorge on something else until it can't possibly send hunger signals.

Fuck you, whiny body, fuck you very much.

6 comments:

Old NFO said...

Chuckle... Know it's not easy for you, but the 'conversation' with the body IS funny! Thankfully you DO listen, and try to do the right things...

Laura said...

oh man, flashbacks. i was the skinniest when i was a kid, and i didn't really start to pack on the pounds until i got a VERY sedentary job and retained the same eating habits.

and the body/brain conversation is very familiar.

Mark/GreyLocke said...

When all else fails. NACHOS!!

Titan Mk6B said...

At one time I had a similar problem. I decided I would eat everything I could all the time to gain weight. I ended up losing weight.

TOTWTYTR said...

Spend four or five years with them shoving those anorexic skeletons in your face trying to get you to admit to an eating disorder you don't have...

Sounds like child abuse to me. Probably too late to file criminal charges, but sending them letters threatening a civil suit might be enjoyable.

While I don't have your problem keeping my weight up, I do have a problem knowing what bad for me, but tastes so good, snack I want to use to ruin my figure.

It really is annoying when you body wants something, but is fussy as hell about what it is.

If we can find one more person, we can get a grant to study this new "disorder". ;)

The Scribbler said...

I know precisely what you mean on all levels. For several years, I was sitting at about 6'1" and 130lb. The responses ranged anywhere from gentle ribbing about my skeletal appearance to some people voicing concerns about anorexia. I never had the pictures shoved at me though. The only thing that got me out of that was when I started rock climbing and put on a fair bit of muscle. I'm still skinny, but people don't call me a skeleton anymore.

The non-specific specific craving drives me nuts too. I can wander around the kitchen for half an hour nibbling on everything in reach, before I happen across something my body apparently wants.