Body Image and CRON:

[Guest guest]

Once more let me " weigh in " with my moderation mantra. There are

some who don't have a problem with the 30% prison camp malnourished

look. Then there are individuals like me who are apparently have

enough vanity left that how we appear to others makes a difference.

Maybe I shouldn't care about such superficial things , but positive

comments from others about my expereience does seem to enhance my

self-esteem. Call me vain, but it does matter. I have gone from 195

lbs. to 158 in a little over two years of CRONing. I have gradually

become more focused and have increased my discipline over the two

plus years I have been exposed to this new lifestyle, thanks to the

incredible resources and support of the society and members. However,

I still try to run 15-20 miles a week and work with weights two-three

times per week. My caloric intake gives me all the energy I need to

exercise at this specific level of exertion. I suppose I could cut my

running down to 10-12 miles but I still enjoy the satisfaction of

racing a half-marathon so Ineed to keep my condtioning level at this

baseline. (Although I think I'm done with full marathons) I'm

obviously less bulky than before, but with the reduced weight I

actually appear to be more muscular, not less. I may end up losing

another 5-7 lbs., but I can't see me going lower than that regardless

of what my BMI states. I feel great right now with lots of energy

and just had my physical last week with great lab results. My

physician just could not get over my progress in the past two years.

If I continue to lose weight without experiencing what I consider the

negative aspects of CRON (nonexistent libdo, irritability, constant

pre-occupation with food, pain upon sitting, etc) then I will slowly

continue to lose weight. However, I think I'm close to being where I

personally want to be.