When I decided I was going to lose 100 lbs, I tried to Google something to compare it to. Some image of something (or a lot of somethings) that weighed 100 lbs, so I could grasp in my head exactly what I was aiming for.
But the pickings were pretty slim. The best I could find were the two images below (with their sources linked beneath):
The thing is, I can't imagine holding that in my hand (whatever 'that' is), so it doesn't really help. It sure looks like a lot though!
So I decided to try and gather together 100 lbs of regular everyday stuff, so I would have at least a vague notion of what I was attempting to accomplish. And being a student, the heaviest, most numerous thing I have is, of course, textbooks!
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, 100 lbs of books!
It really doesn't seem so much stacked up like that, but believe me, this load was backbreaking. It was almost too much for me, and was definitely too much for my scales - they tried to tell me I weighed 35lbs WITH books! I ended up weighing them in shifts, and what you have above is 99.6 lbs, as close to 100 as I could get.
Try grabbing a few big books off the shelf now, and compare that weight to how many are above. I should have put something in to compare sizes, but most of those are big old hardback anatomy textbooks, and hefty even on their own. I can't believe I could even have that much weight to spare! Its horrifying.
Can't wait to drop it all though! I mean, I go for runs and can jog upstairs and am in no way incapacitated by my weight, so imagine what I'll be able to do when I'm not carrying that around too! I'll be a Hercules!
All the pics above can be enlarged with a click (and my one gives you an insight into the reading matter of a procrastinating med student!). Hopefully its useful to anyone else aiming for close to 100lbs!
Wow, being able to put it into perspective like that is really eye opening.
ReplyDeleteBut keep in mind the density of bodyfat and the density of books are different. But Eeesh!
Ps I see a lot of science in there, do I smell a doctor in the making?
I'm afraid so! Was it the anatomy that gave me away? :-p
ReplyDeleteAnd you're absolutely right re. the different densities, and thank goodness for that - there was over a whole rucksack-full of books there, would horrify me to think of all that, as fat, spread around my body! Unbelievable how heavy it all was too. Almost makes me feel like I'll just float away when I'm rid of it all!
It's quite something. Even five is startling if you've lost it and then see what it looks like.
ReplyDeleteMmmmmh tasty :D
ReplyDeleteYum that looks tasty/
ReplyDeleteFor a sample, try unwrapping a box of margarine and holding that greasy stuff in your hand. And that's just one pound - imagine trying to hold onto 100!(100 would be hard, and expensive- but you get the idea.) Blech!
ReplyDeleteLove this post! When I started losing weight, I would go to the pet aisle at the grocery store and lift pounds of dog food at milestones, just so I could make those comparisons... 20 pounds of dog food is heavy, but when I got to sixty, I could barely lift it! Now I calculate all sorts of fun visual comparisons using household (and more random) objects... I'm a nerd, and I love figuring stuff like this out. Check it out:http://t.co/9qGzsrc
ReplyDelete