Five Pounds or Fifty Pounds of Fat

Whether one loses 5 pounds of fat or 50 pounds of fat, I think it is very helpful to visualize just how much that is. Yes, five pounds of fat is much larger than most people realize!

This past week, I purchased a life-sized model of 5 pounds of fat from a well-known nutrition supplier; the same supplier I have purchased life-sized food models from, which I used to use a lot in my practice. When I received it, I was quite surprised how much room it took up and just how heavy it was.

Here is a photo of the life-sized model 5 pounds of fat on a scale, with my left hand for a size reference:

5 pounds of fat on a scale, with adult hand as reference – © BBDNutrition

Here is a photo of it on an ordinary steno chair:

5 pounds of fat on a steno chair – © BBDNutrition

…and here is 5 pounds of fat being held in my hand:

5 pounds of fat in adult hand – © BBDNutrition

Finally, here is 5 pounds of fat being carried as one would carry an infant:

Five pounds of fat is a lot! Sure there is the initial water-loss at the beginning of weight loss, but here I’m talking about fat.

Fat takes up a fair amount of room around one’s waist, or worse inside one’s abdomen or organs. If someone has 20 pounds of fat to lose, that is four of those fat models distributed over their body; legs, belly, arms, neck, back and face and perhaps some in their liver.

I had 55 pounds of excess fat before beginning my health- and weight-loss recovery journey.

Comparing these two full length photos, it is easy to see how I had the equivalent of one of those fat models over the length of each leg, one distributed between each arm, one distributed over my neck and face and 2 spread out around my waist and hips and some no doubt, in my liver and pancreas. But still, I can’t actually imagine where I was carrying 11 of those, all told! It must have been packed in pretty tight.

No doubt, the fat in my abdomen must have been more than I imagined as it was wreaking metabolic havoc on my body. I had very high blood pressure and had type 2 diabetes for 8 years. You can read the entire story (including lab test results) under “A Dietitian’s Journey“, by clicking here.

Whether you have 5 or 10 pounds of fat to lose, or like I did â — a whole lot more, it is really only done a pound or so at a time. If you have significant amount of weight to lose, I can not only help you do that, but since I’ve been through it myself, I can encourage you and coach you through it. I provide services across Canada (except PEI) via HIPAA-compliant video conferencing, and most extended benefits providers will reimburse for licensed Dietitian services.

More Info?

If you would like more information about the services I offer, please have a look under the Services tab or in the Shop for more information. If you have service-related questions, please feel free to send me a note using the Contact Me form above, and I will reply as soon as I can.

To your good health!

Joy

You can follow me on:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lchfRD
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lchfRD/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lchf_rd
Fipboard: http://flip.it/ynX-aq

LEGAL NOTICE: The contents of this blog, including text, images and cited statistics as well as all other material contained here (the ”content”) are for information purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, medical diagnosis and/or treatment and is not suitable for self-administration without the knowledge of your physician and regular monitoring by your physician. Do not disregard medical advice and always consult your physician with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or before implementing anything you have read or heard in our content.