I won’t bore you with all the details about gaining weight.  We’ve all been there.  I’ve wrote a few blog posts about my weight loss journey.  After a recent trip to my doctor, I thought I would post a picture when I think I was at my heaviest.  (And, after scouring through a gazillion digital pictures tonight looking for one, I realized I am always the one behind the camera.  There are literally 12 pictures of me in the past 7 years.

St. Louis Zoo - 2006

So, here I am.  156 pounds on my 5’4″ frame.  Yikes.

You can read about my running journey here:  http://wp.me/p1dPjH-6I

And, this brings me to this past Friday.  I had my annual check up with my doctor.  I haven’t seen him in a year.  I rarely get sick.  Or, at least sick enough that I will actually go to the doctor.  So, it had been a while.  I checked in, updated my information, waited in the waiting room.  You know the routine.

The nurse came out to get me, she oohed and aaaahhed appropriately over Jordan who was with me.  Took her back so the office staff could see how cute she was.  And, then it was time to step on the scale.  The scale used to terrify me.  Not anymore.  No surprises, it was 130.  Exactly what mine said this morning.  Onto the exam room.

And, that’s when it got weird.

He shook my hand, shook Jordan’s hand.  Talked to me about the financial crisis happening right now.   Drew a graph.  I actually don’t remember him being this chatty, it was a little strange, but I thought he was taking the time to get to know his patient.  So, whatever.

He pulled out a tape measure and measured my wrist.  (Let me just add, he has never done this before.)

He wrote that measurement down next time my weight.

He looked at my height.  Pulled out a calculator from his desk drawer.

He made some quick calculations.  Pulled out a chart from his desk and said:

“For your height, you should weigh about 120.  So you’re only a little chubby.”

At first, I laughed.  I think out of shock.  He didn’t really just say that, did he?  I’ll be totally honest, it didn’t even really bother me.  He’s an older guy, probably doesn’t care about being PC and according to that chart, I am “a little chubby.”

That was Friday.  Today is Sunday.  And, while I’m not hurt or even mad, I don’t understand how in this day and age we’re still defining our bodies by charts.  He didn’t ask me what I do when I work out (run, weights, other cardio) and I think from 4th grade I learned that muscle weighs more than fat.  Right?

Screw charts.  And for the record, my wrist is the smallest part of my body.  I mean, if he was going to measure the circumference of something, thank god he didn’t pick my thighs.

Have you ever had your wrist measured?  Would you have been offended at the “little chubby” comment?