I have (had?) a reasonably fast metabolism, and for many years was reasonably active, and thus through a combination of genetics and temperament* really never had to think about what I was eating, or how much. Possibly helped by being (mostly) vegetarian since the end of primary school.
But now, in my 50s, with my metabolism slowing down, I'm nearly 20kg heavier than the weight I was through my 20s, andI'm having to notice when my thinking is internalised fat phobia. I've learned that one can say no to having one's weight taken at the doctor, and that if a straight 'no' gets some push back a phrase that implies I get a little too focused on the numbers works (something along the lines of 'it's not good for me to get too focused on my weight'). I did have a doctor who was a little too focused on BMI (rant: that is a population measure that should never be applied to individuals) and that plus a couple of other things means I now have another doctor, who hasn't asked me to get weighed at all, just keeps track of my blood pressure (family history of heart trouble and stroke).
* not quite the right word. But kind of -- I was more likely to ignore eating when I lived alone because 'what to eat' was one more decision I didn't want to make, so if I was at home I might miss a meal, or eat fruit or bread instead. This was balanced by me being very committed to always taking lunch to uni, and always always (despite issues that have later cleared up to probably being 'everything I was trying contained gluten') ate breakfast, so I didn't get desperately hungry through the day. And because processed food was more expensive, and I was desperately poor, I ate a lot of the simple foods that are supposed to be good for keeping blood sugar steady, and not making one get sudden hunger spikes.
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I have (had?) a reasonably fast metabolism, and for many years was reasonably active, and thus through a combination of genetics and temperament* really never had to think about what I was eating, or how much. Possibly helped by being (mostly) vegetarian since the end of primary school.
But now, in my 50s, with my metabolism slowing down, I'm nearly 20kg heavier than the weight I was through my 20s, andI'm having to notice when my thinking is internalised fat phobia. I've learned that one can say no to having one's weight taken at the doctor, and that if a straight 'no' gets some push back a phrase that implies I get a little too focused on the numbers works (something along the lines of 'it's not good for me to get too focused on my weight'). I did have a doctor who was a little too focused on BMI (rant: that is a population measure that should never be applied to individuals) and that plus a couple of other things means I now have another doctor, who hasn't asked me to get weighed at all, just keeps track of my blood pressure (family history of heart trouble and stroke).
* not quite the right word. But kind of -- I was more likely to ignore eating when I lived alone because 'what to eat' was one more decision I didn't want to make, so if I was at home I might miss a meal, or eat fruit or bread instead. This was balanced by me being very committed to always taking lunch to uni, and always always (despite issues that have later cleared up to probably being 'everything I was trying contained gluten') ate breakfast, so I didn't get desperately hungry through the day. And because processed food was more expensive, and I was desperately poor, I ate a lot of the simple foods that are supposed to be good for keeping blood sugar steady, and not making one get sudden hunger spikes.