That extra cushion

Weight can be an issue with a lot of people. I think this is because weight has to do with how one looks, and how one looks has to do with one feeling good about one's self.

Long-time friends would know how skinny I was. A lot of people tried to get me to put on weight to no avail. Until I was married in 2000, I was around 55kg and not more. I remember being around 49kg when I left to further my studies in early 1992.

Then, circa 2002, I contracted an allergy. The dermatologist prescribed me a number of medications which I had to take for about a year (because the allergy kept coming back). Aside from having to refrain from eating seafood and some other types of food, I also acquired an appetite. As a result, I gained an extra 7kg in that one year alone - not to mention an increasing waistline.

Then fatherhood came in 2005. And with that, my weight got up to about 67kg, and later seems to stabilise at 65kg. And needless to say, with the extra weight, comes the expanding waistline. My wife doesn't complain, and my two sons seem to enjoy the extra cushion on the tummy.

In any case, for the past couple of months, I have been looking after my diet a lot more strictly than before. I have begun to eat less rice. And last month, my weight has come down to 60kg. My waistline has also decreased proportionately.

Then came the school holidays a week ago. My wife and sons went back to our hometown to spend the school holidays there. I only went back during the weekends. As such, I had to eat out most of the times when I'm in KL. And after one week of eating out, I gained an extra 5kg - or rather, the 5kg that I shed decided to come back!

Oh, well. That's what eating out does to you. Frankly, there's nothing like home-cooked meals. It's a lot healthier, cleaner and you can enjoy them with your family in your own home.

Trying to think positively, I think my sons would probably enjoy that extra cushion on my tummy...