the unlucky 15

Seriously?

Oh, College Metabolism, how I miss you.

Processed foods were once a part of my daily life (read: frozen dinners, chips, and sugar-coated cereal).  I used to eat the Cheddar's Cookie Monster far more often than I ever went to my Step Aerobics class.  And going to the Rec Center was an opportunity to socialize with my sorority sisters rather than to burn calories.

Yet, somehow I was a size 0, that mythical size that isn't even an actual number.

It all just sort of snuck up on me.  My fat jeans were snug and I started to wear cardigans over everything.  X made comments but I chose to ignore them.  I bought new clothes, in denial about the number that was printed on the tag.  The Viz15 plus the DW15 plus the Relationship15 added up to a rather unflattering number.

The Viz15
People are not meant to sit at a computer for 18 hours a day.  Because my entire grad school life was spent finding the perfect percentage of subsurface scattering, I ate one, if not two, meals out.  And on a college student budget, "out" means fast food.  The late shift guy at the What-A-Burger recognized me as I'd swing by at some God-forsaken hour of the night/morning for a taquito and fried apple pie.

Clearly, I was somewhat aware of the damage.  My New Year's Resolution after my first semester was to start wearing pants that had actual buttons as opposed to an ever-expanding elastic waistband.

The DW15
I am fortunate to work at company that provides free breakfast, free lunch, free cereal, and free ice cream every single day.  Fully stocked snack rooms are on every floor.  There are separate lunch lines for the main entree, sandwiches, salads, and the grill.  Recently, a new line was added, devoted to the panini-of-the-day.  And don't forget the two types of dessert.  It's the definition of gluttony.

Working at DW made me realize I have no concept of portion control at all whatsoever.  It's like the goldfish theory: I didn't have any sense as to when I was full; if there was food in front of me, I'd eat until I was about to explode. 

The Relationship15
When X and I first started dating, we would have Thursday as Date Night In.  We would order from our favorite Chinese restaurant and settle in for Scrubs, The Office, and ER.  He indulged in my request for dessert after every meal.  Our first date, he suggested we get ice cream instead of dinner; I thought at that moment he was my soul mate.  Obviously, I'd prefer to stay home and eat dinner with him than spend time on the treadmill at 24 Hour.  My waistline had a different agenda.

Does this happen when people get comfortable in relationships?  Apparently so.  According to the NYTimes, a woman in a ten year relationship puts on an average of 15 pounds.  And I am Exhibit A to illustrate that point.


A couple of months ago, I gave in and did something I said I would never do...

I bought a scale.  The numbers on digital display staring back at me made me flinch.
And so began Operation Skinny Jeans.