Weighty Words June 24, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Humor, Writing & Writers.trackback
There’s a correlation between what I’m writing and the number on my bathroom scale . . .
If I’m writing a novel, a continuous effort to push out words toward a unified goal, my weight dips down.
It’s not that I forget to eat, but I’m too engrossed in writing to take my stomach’s protests seriously:
Stomach: {{rghrghrgh}}
Me: I’m busy. I’ll feed you later.
Stomach: {{RGHRGHRGHRGHRHGRHG}}
Me: OK, OK . . . as soon as I finish this chapter.
By the end of the chapter, three days later, my stomach has given up and gone back to sleep.
I step on the scale, blink in surprise at the diminutive number smiling up at me, and realize that my novel’s gains are my loss ~ as I flesh out a novel with weighty words, my weight melts away.
In contrast, when I’m blogging, there are too many pauses ~ convenient places to get up and eat:
Me: Aah, post #427. Done and dusted. I guess I’ll head to the kitchen and grab a bite to eat.
Stomach: I’m not hungry.
Me: Well, you will be later . . . let’s be proactive.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Spirit Lights The Way 
Sigh. With me, it’s a little different. If I write I gain weight. If I don’t write, I gain weight. If I cut down on foodl… you guessed it. I gain weight.
I’d say it’s all in the genes… but the genes don’t fit any more.
hahaha! I hadn’t read your comment before I posted mine 🙂
When Bill is working and I’m writing, the weight rolls off, because I really do ignore my stomach.
When Bill’s around, he fixes lunch for us and I stop to eat it and keep him company . . . even if I’m not really hungry ~ that causes my jeans to shrink.
LOL, you’re funny Nancy! I’ve been the same size since I was 14, except during my pregnancy; and seven hours after Chelsea was born I was back in my old jeans. I guess I just have a very fast metabolism, because I sure eat a lot.
My weight, while generally in the healthy range, has had as many ups and downs, twists and turns, as a roller coaster.
Well, it must be true that great minds run on the same track…just didn’t know I was one of them! Check out my most recent post (from last night). Weight and body issues can be so time and mind consuming…wish we as a culture could get away from it, but it is pushed into our faces all the time. I have tried all my life not to listen to people who tell me how I SHOULD be, and learn to be content with what I AM. Since I am so self-critical, that has been an uphill battle!
Childhood obesity is an epidemic which in some cases borders on child abuse.
As long as we’re still growing as a nation, the issue needs to be shoved in our faces. We need to eat less and exercise more if we want to be healthy and happy.
I’ll run round and take a peak at your post.
I could write a book on this topic of weight gain, weight loss, yo-yo weight, and weighing words carefully… but sometimes, the more attention we give to the subject, the more we keep what we really don’t want — and we lose by gaining… Enough already… all these weightless words are making me hungry…!
I agree.
Obsessing about every calorie and fat gram is generally counter-productive in the long run . . . focusing on making more healthy choices and fewer unhealthy choices tips the scales in our favor.