Sad Nineteen

There is a song that says, “One is the loneliest number…” Well, I think that nineteen is a close second. Think about it – no one ever sells things in groups of nineteen – it’s six, or eight, or ten, or a dozen, or a baker’s dozen. Who would buy nineteen hot dog buns, for example? When you think about nineteen as an age, well that’s just sad, too. Still a teenager, barely, but not one of the fun ages – like 13 (I’m a teenager – finally!) – or sweet 16 – or 18. And nineteen doesn’t technically qualify as an adult.

This morning, nineteen was the number in my van indicating the temperature outside (in Fahrenheit). Now, I have many friends in lands far away to the north that would not be surprised to see a thermometer reading nineteen. In fact, some might be excited to see the temperature climb UP to nineteen. But here in Hotlanta, we are NOT prepared for this kind of sustained cold. Heat we can handle – every car and every building has air-conditioning. We have a plethora of short-sleeved and sleeveless clothing. Shorts, capris, bathing suits, flip-flops – we have it all! I seriously doubt anyone down here knows what a block heater is – or has one installed on his or her car (unless the person moved here from the frozen tundra). We might have a jacket, but very people have parkas. We do occasionally wear hats and scarves and gloves – but the emphasis is far more on style than warmth.

I think my body has gone into hibernation. I used to LOVE the cold, but that was before I actually FELT the cold. I could play outside and never think anything about it. My hands, my feet, and my face would get cold – but the rest of me would stay warm. Those days are long gone. I should be a grizzly bear – taking a long winter nap – barely moving – snuggled up in my warm cave. (Of course, there are days that my husband might say I AM a grizzly bear.)

Unfortunately, hibernating is not good for my weight loss, even if it IS what I want to do. Much better to get outside (bundled warmly, of course) – move around – expend some energy. It takes a lot more calories to do this in the winter, because not only do you use the calories for the movement, but also because you expend calories just to stay warm. And the bottom line remains, the only way to lose weight is to spend more calories than you take in.

So here’s to winter – and to nineteen degrees – and to making good choices.