Weighty issues

Part of the check-in procedure at the clinic I run is the measurement of height, weight, temperature and blood pressure. I’m intrigued by the number of people I see kick off their shoe before getting onto the scale. If you suffer a mental illness or substance dependency, the least of your problems is knocking a couple pounds off your chart weight.

I have an employee who uses the office scale to weight herself about every hour. What makes this seem even more quirky is that she could probably use the postage scale. Obviously some issues at work, here.

I mused about this to a friend, who didn’t find it odd at all. She told me she has about a dozen weights; with shoes, without shoes, first-thing-in-the-morning, before period, after period, right after a dump, etc.

I was thinking of this because I moved past my break point last week, which reminds me of a philosophical discussion I’ve had with someone I’ll see tonight. I’m not anxious to have it again.

I have a fairly rigorous adventure coming up toward the end of the year. So, I stepped up my usual conditioning. This results in better muscle tone, weight loss, etc. Somewhere, south of the mid-180s, I move from my normal wardrobe to smaller sizes.

Another friend of mine maintains a vigorous daily workout routine continuously. A couple years ago, due to significantly increased hours and travel on the job, she crept above her break point, which is about 110. I slipped and said aging might have something to do with it. That was out of my mouth before I could stop it and was pretty costly.

She had added “more comfortable” attire to her collection before drawing the line and burning off the weight. She immediately disposed of the new clothing. The Cortez approach.

When Cortez landed at Vera Cruz, he ordered his men to burn the 11 ships. He did this to ensure commitment to the mission.

I’m not about to burn the ships. Aside from the fact that I don’t think this is a realistic level of training to carry on after the event, I’d rather do something on the strength of my will as opposed to an artificial boundary. That also assumes it’s something I want to do, and I feel no need to push it.

Beyond an acceptable level of health, this creeps into the province of courting the favor of others. That’s never a good recipe for balance or happiness.