May 29, 2011

Overcoming Childhood Obesity in Med School

When First Lady Michelle Obama stands out against childhood obesity, I'm skeptical. After all, how can you change a nation of McDonald's-eating TV-watching children to eat cucumbers and exercise 3 hours a day? I can totally understand it takes hours of sweltering near-syncope moments to cut a kilo but just an extra Cola to gain it back, it's inhumane, right? You have every right to feel angry just because society dictates slim people are beautiful and expects you to follow suit.
You see, I was once the obese, slow, dumb kid munching away at chocolate pies and watching television every weekend. Back when my classmates are playing football and training for six-packs I had a huge belly (38 inches at 17), and the tailor of my first suit finding it difficult to measure and fit me. However *drum rolls, screen flashes* when I got into medical school everything changed. *flashes following photographs*

I was normal and cute-looking little guy back then, no fat genes in our family as well - my youngest aunt and oldest uncle, god bless him.

Primary 2, still normal. Spot where I am?

I started to put on weight during my later primary school years. Sorry there being no photographs to display, but upon high school graduation I transmogrified into this:



Then I went into medical school...

First year of med school

As you can see the effects are quite profound already. I dropped from 38-inches to 35, lost almost 10 kgs during my first year.

Second year med school...

Can't exactly remember how much I weight then, but still within the seventies. Waistline down to 33/34 (I have my khaki bought in France as proof).

The most profound change I should say, is during my third year...

Broke the sixties, waistline plummeting toward 30, and some say I'm underweight.

Three years. 15 kilograms. Effortless.

The story continues...

Fourth year...

Fifth...

I'm currently hovering around the mid-sixties and wearing 30-inches, which makes some American brands unavailable to me, which is troublesome. All in all I lost approximately 20kgs in 5 years of medical school. I don't regularly exercise at school, just the occasional jog, swim, or gym. I don't starve myself, I eat heartily, and I live a rather regular lifestyle. So I figured it must be the textbooks, libraries, and endless reports and knowledge-cramming.
Medical school will do this to you. Mrs. Obama, please consider enrolling your obese American schoolchildren to med school, it'll do them good.

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