I have been really blessed when it comes to my weight.  I’ve never had to diet and never been fat (though at times I’ve been fatter than I would have preferred).  However, I’ve always had a “normal” BMI (fluctuating between 19.6-22.7) and I’ve always looked and felt perfectly healthy.  And though I’ve never dieted, I have certainly lost weight kind of like I might have been, which was really random.

When I left for Singapore, I weighed 140 lbs, and when I came back five months later, I was 130 lbs.  I didn’t notice a difference until I weighed myself at the doctor’s, when I went in for a check-up after getting sick (just to make sure it wasn’t H1N1).  Actually, even then, I didn’t really notice a difference, but not long after, I suddenly realized the reason my pants had been loose and why I had needed to wear a belt more.  Since then, I’ve lost another 5 lbs for no good reason and that’s where I’m at now.  When I’ve eaten, I’m around 130 and when I haven’t, I’m at 125.  I don’t watch what I eat and pretty much go with whatever I am craving, which mostly happens to be pickles, ice cream, kimchi fried rice, or (most recently) chili cheese fries.

I hit my peak when I was in England, at around 145.  It was probably in part due to the cold (hey, you need some insulating body fat!), lack of movement, and just general unhealthy behavior starting from when I entered college.  It wasn’t until I looked at how I look now, versus pictures of how I looked then, that I can see the difference.  My face is rounder and plumper in those pictures and I probably fit my pants a lot better.  After all, I bought a bunch of new jeans before going abroad and now they’re all quite loose.

I never realized how fit I was in high school until I got really out of shape in college.  Whereas before I had track & field, swimming, and ROTC training to keep me extremely active, in college I lazed around eating great food and lounging on couches or my bed.  I guess my natural weight is just around 140, since it seems I can maintain that very easily.  Nowadays I linger at 125 and I wonder if it is because I can’t eat as much as I used to.  As a kid, I was always a huge eater (and more of a snacker), so my metabolism was constantly on hyperdrive.  I think that helped me not gain a lot of weight and now that my metabolism has slowed, my eating habits have shrunk along with it.  I’m just glad I never had to discipline myself to eat well because I love my food too much!