a brief history of my weight

A friend started a blog to chronicle and motivate his weight loss goals. Considering his condition has led me to contemplate my own.

When I was born I probably weighed less than 10 lbs. I don't actually know how much I weighed when I was born, but since most babies weigh less than 10 lbs I figure that's a safe assumption.

In grade school I have no idea how much I weighed. But I was skinny. Super skinny. Also not short, exactly, but certainly not tall.

When I started calling girls in like sixth and seventh grade and started having long, complicated, and absolutely absurd romantic phone affairs with girls in far off places like a neighboring suburb, I used to tell them it looked like I had a potbelly, but only because my stomach muscles were so strong. My stomach muscles were not strong.

I got my driver's license when I was three months short of 15 years old, the summer between my eighth and ninth grade years. (Yes, Idaho at the time allowed fourteen year-olds to legally operate motor vehicles. During daylight hours. I drove a Suburban.) I distinctly remember that my first driver's license recorded my weight at 97 lbs. Height: 4'11".

During my sophomore year my cross country coach, using calipers, calculated my body fat percentage at just over two percent. (There was probably some error in that calculation, because, come on, two percent! But you get the idea.)

As a Junior and Senior in high school I think my weight steadily increased from about 140 to around 160. I was six feet tall when I graduated.

At twenty I remember finally tipping the scales at 170. I was very proud. By that time I'd grown another inch and a half. (I like to say I'm 6'2", but more accurately I'm like 6'1.5". I think it's better to round up.)

Three or four years ago I got up to 195 lbs. I was beginning to get a little chunky around the waist, but I also only got up to 195 after about a year of weight lifting.

Two years ago my body fat percentage was around 18 percent.

Over the past couple of years as my cycling miles have increased (and my weight lifting has decreased) my weight has steadily decreased. Right now I hover between 175 and 180. I really think my ideal fighting weight (on the bike) is about ten pounds less than that. But I can't get there. It's likely been ten years since I've weighed under 175.

My body fat percentage is still around 12-14 percent. Twelve percent of 180 lbs is just over 21 lbs. So...if I could reduce my body fat percentage to around six percent (can a 33 year-old male do that?) I'd weigh in comfortably under 170 lbs. Closer to 165. Perfect.

Forces, their combined powers mythic and ferocious, which will likely keep me from achieving my goal:

(1) Ice cream.
(2) Soda.
(3) Cookies.
(4) Fritos.