Some Thoughts on Becoming Sexier

Image source: vectortoons.com.

The last time I successfully lost weight for any length of time was in 2009, ten years ago. From February of that year to September, I dropped from 324 lbs. to 280, a 46-lb. drop. Then I tried to quit smoking ....

On Friday, I weighed in at 278.4. This morning, the scale read 276.6.

It wasn’t part of my intermediate goals to break 280. After all, that was only a drop of 22.6 lbs. from my starting weight. Having lost 46 lbs. before, I was morally certain I could lose a mere 22. 

Thinking about it now, though, my inner smartass can’t help but quip, So okay, it took you 10 years to lose 50 pounds!

So what? It’s still 50 pounds. Another 112.6 to go. It would be nice to get there before I turn 60, though. Even better if I’m slim before my high school class’ 40th reunion. Talk about goals!

According to research done by the University of Toronto, it takes a BMI drop of 1.33 – about 8 lbs. for women and 9 lbs. for men — for weight loss to noticeably change your facial adiposity (that is, the amount of fat in your face) and a drop of 2.5 — 14 and 18, respectively — for your face to appear more attractive. However, I suspect that the more obese you are, the more weight you must lose for others to notice, particularly those around you most often. One researcher did admit that slow weight loss takes more time to register with people around you frequently. A good rule of thumb is probably that it takes a 10% loss (± 0.5%) for those people to ask, “Gee, have you lost weight?” Or to exclaim, “You’re looking so much better now!”

I’ll admit, I wouldn’t mind being considered “hot.” Even with the proviso, “... for an older dude.” Excessive concern with physical attractiveness, within the context of traditional Judeo-Christian morality, can become the vice of Vanity; but it can also signal a lack of self-confidence, a surfeit of dissatisfaction with oneself. At the same time, however, when employed subtly and ethically, a good-looking, well-dressed body can be a useful business and social tool. Physical beauty is not the most important quality a person should have, but it does help.

Still, everything is “for now;” that is, they are ephemeral ... especially beauty, the markers of which vary from one cultural context to another. It’s more important to achieve and maintain a healthy weight because your ability to help others depends on your own health. Have you ever noticed how many ads for prescription medicine focus on the fact that illnesses reduce your participation in others’ lives — the things you can do with and for your family and friends? Not only does obesity do this directly, but it also does so indirectly through all the medical conditions to which it gives rise, such as hypertension and type-2 diabetes.

So yeah, when I walk into the reunion venue about three years from now, I’d like to hear some “oohs” and “aahs” from the ladies. More to the point, though, I’d like to increase my chances of making our 50th and 60th reunions. I’d also like to do more around my community, like work at a Habitat for Humanity project. Even helping my disabled mother would be easier if I were in better health. A life lived solely for oneself is not so noble or wonderful a thing as is a life lived for others.