Fat man in the bathtub...

This post was not intended to relate to LittleFeat's song. When I wrote the phrase, I intended to talk about my frustration with being that fat man in a bathtub.  

Then, my middle through high school years whizzed through my head.  Those were the years I listened to Little Feat, not understanding what the hell they meant by their crafty lyrics.  For those who know Little Feet in the early years, think of Dixie Chicken, Feats Don’t Fail Me Now or Fat Man in the Bathtub.    What were they saying?  I never really knew, but they were so cool!

I came to understand that Fat Man in the Bathtub was actually the ultimate ode to sexual frustration. The girl keeps putting him off, and the tension builds. The best line is: "All I want in this life and time is some hit-and-run!" And Dixie Chicken? Listen, and you should understand relationship frustration…

But that is not why I wrote that title on this cold January evening.  It is a rant about all the health science in the world and Body Mass Index (BMI).  According to the theory, I should weigh at most 167 pounds.  I have not been that low since I was a 7^th grader attending L. E. Berger Middle School, West Fargo, North Dakota, in 1975.  At 197 pounds, I ran a 3:24 Marathon.  At 220 pounds, I ran 77 miles on the Superior Hiking Trail in 26 hours.    At that weight, my BMI said I was obese.  At a BMI of 38, I finished Grandma’s Marathon and logged over 3,000 miles on my bicycle over less than 5 months.  While I strive to lose weight, I have always been the big man on the block!  

I even once heard a great story from another runner, and he was told it by a runner who said he knew it was me.  He said his friend was running the rigged 50K when, at about 25 miles, this fat man passed him.  This tinned man thought, "I can't let that fat man beat me, and he ran harder. After about 10 minutes of the growing gap, the thin man reluctantly said to himself, "That fat man is a great runner," and let me run out of sight.  Love that story...

I have a friend who has a BMI of 21 and is considered healthy by the BMI records.  He smokes, drinks, and eats poorly, which equates to his low weight and lack of strength and energy.  He has trouble working on his house, going for a one mile walk might just kill him and he is always tired.  But if you dress us both up in a suit with the BMI embroidered on the front and ask who is in better shape, the answer would always be the same, not the fat man in the tub suit. 

Frustrating but true that we judge by our eyes and the scientific data drilled into our heads.  Since I heard Fat Man in the Bathtub in the middle 1970s, scientific studies have changed what is right and what we need to do every decade.  These scientific results most reported (by the press who need to sell papers or ad spots to the company that has a product to sell) all seem to be related to what corporate sponsor put the most money into the study, which inevitably encourages the behavior to maximize the profit of those who pay for the research.  It is all about the dollar...

The mind is the main tool for health and well-being.  But science just gives us a new pill or a miracle method.  Whatever happened to hard work, dedication, and genuine care for oneself? 

Carry on, my friends, and live your life in accordance with what you believe, not what the scientists tell you is right or wrong.