My pet fat

Everyone needs a fat friend…

…but do you think I’m taking this a bit too literally?

This is my diet buddy, Blobby. He’s a MyPetFat — an anatomically-correct replica of one ounce of human body fat.

Yes, really.

The idea is “this is what 220 calories of extra food will turn into, so make good choices”. But I’ve been using it more as a motivational device: This is what will go away every time I burn 220 extra calories. I burn that much in a typical workout. Ideally, I burn that much (or eat that much less) a few times every day.

I get this mental image of grabbing little one-ounce handfuls of fat and throwing them away. I think it would be kind of cool if it really did disappear in chunks, because then I could tell it was gone. But it comes off from all over, of course, so the difference is imperceptible.

The idea that I physically weigh 0.2 pounds less today than I did yesterday is kind of weird to think about. I can’t tell that it’s gone. Where did it go? When did it go? What does it feel like when it goes? Is there a sensation of fat leaving the body?

I ordered a one-pound one too, so I can see what I’m getting rid of from week to week.

Can you imagine getting rid of this?

Getting rid of 40 of them? Do I really have 40 of those on my body? What am I going to look like when they’re all gone?

Tags: Health