Fatliness

A person is made up of many things, but some of it is fat. Even very skinny people have some fat. Former NSW Premier and skinny person Bob Carr recently blogged that since giving up alcohol he had reduced his body fat from 19 to 13 per cent, 'measured by scanning.' According to the internet, that's about as much fat as a healthy male athlete has (women are allowed to have a bit more fat).

I've always suspected Bob Carr thinks alot about his fat - his blogg is called 'Thoughtliness'.  I'm not saying you should wait until you look like Manuel Uribe (below) before you give it some thought.  But I think the ranges Bob is talking about are pretty low, and probably not worth the stress. I also think some people conceal their misanthropic tendencies through fat-hate. Love the fatty, hate the fat? I don't buy it.

Above average levels: Mexico's Manuel Uribe

I have no basis in science for saying that. And perhaps when some of my alcoholic friends start getting diabetes and other fat sicknesses, I may take a more forensic approach to my own fat.

In the meantime, I am continuing with my long-standing approach to fat, which is to engage in periodic bursts of intensive, inappropriate, and potentially lethal exercise. It doesn't really work because I don't change my diet, but it does make me feel better about overeating.

I have lost some fat, training for this fight, but not as much as you'd expect. And at this age, having carried a bit of fat for a while, it comes off the body in a very uneven way, and you are not the old shape you remembered.  For example, I have quite a big arse, and it has stayed big while the rest of me has gotten a bit smaller. And there are other loose bits of fat that look like they've been stuck to me as an afterthought.

It doesn't really bother me. My training is going quite well.