Reducing Weight (体重減少 )

Neither MJ and I are what you would consider "fat" people (I really watch out when I use that word around others now because of the connotations associated it, how sensitive people are, and because I dealt with weight issues in the past. There's not really a great thing to say when it comes to weight, even "you're not fat" can be considered patronizing in some contexts so I only use those descriptive words when talking to myself), nor "skinny" people. However, we both have felt the need to lose a few pounds recently. Me personally, I blame it on the cold Chicago weather keeping me indoors a lot as well as eating and then sitting in the office at work, and hopefully the California weather would change that. 

Obviously there's a lot of literature about lose-pounds-quickly methods and diets and training regimens, I treat those a lot like fortunetellers and pyramid schemes: there's not a lot of substance behind it, but it might work if you buy into it.. You know what really works for weight loss? Sweating off water weight. Our bodies consist something like 60% of water, (Actually according to wikipedia it's about 60% for males, 55% for females, huh.) Anyway, that water makes up a LOT of pounds, and if you can get rid of some of that organically, say, exercising, that really helps to make the body lose weight. I went to the local dodgeball gym for 3 hours today, ran around a lot, sweated through 4 shirts (yes I sweat a lot anyway, and it does help to lose weight I guess as well as make one smell bad) and lost 3 pounds when I measured myself at home. Now how much I'll gain that back after I eat a huge meal at dinner will be interesting, but at least I know it can be done, and that those pounds were from water weight. It's like a puzzle (I told you, life is just a puzzle!), when I was training for the marathon I lost like 10-12 pounds when I was done, mainly cuz due to running all those miles and sweating so much during those runs, I just lost all that water weight. SWEAT! It's the key to everything. 

I first learned about the theory through reading about how professional boxers and fighters lose weight, and those are really horrific tales, like going into a sauna a day or 2 before having to make a specified weight and needing to lose 10, 20, even THIRTY pounds in one sitting. I have a hard enough time losing 3 pounds, much less THIRTY, it can't be good for the body. It's apparently just dehydrating one self to the extreme, and the fighters can't drink any water during this time. Essentially they just get rid of all the water weight, come out, make the weight they needed to be at, then RIGHT AFTER the weigh in they drink tops of liquids. put the water weight back on (like 10 pounds in one day) cuz their body is used to being at that normal higher weight before, and they get to where they were orginally by fight time. Add that to the numerous reasons why I would NOT want to be a professional fighter (I don't like physical violence, I don't take pain very well, I require my mind for work so concussions are bad, etc., etc.) 

Sweat on, 

Robert Yan