The Smell of Burning Fat

Ten years ago, a group of co-workers and I started monitoring our weight loss together while all doing some variation of the Atkins diet. We walked together during our breaks and once a week we met at the gym and weighed in. During this time I learned about Ketosis.

Ketosis is when your body burns stored fat for energy; and what an amazing concept. If you use more calories then you put into your body it is forced to burn stored fat to compensate. How great is that?

I did learn that you have to watch yourself while in this state. Your body can actually start burning muscle if you aren't careful. But the one thing I thought I'd never forget is the smell.

Most of the stored fat is utilized when burned to energize your body and mind, but not all of it. The non-used portion is excreted through your breath and in your urine. So you end up with stinky, to REALLY stinky, breath and pee.

The strange thing is that I did forgot.

Then, some ten years later, I start smelling something funny when I go to the bathroom. (It smells like brussel spouts boiling.) As a woman, the first thing I think of is that I'm having female issues. So I buy a test to check for that. Nope, all is fine. But the smell is still there and worse. Maybe a urine infection? I buy several bottles of cranberry juice (which coincidentally have a lot of calories per servings) and by the time I finish them off the odor is gone. Problem solved.

Until a week later when it's back. That's when it dawns on me; by body is in a state of Ketosis. With my added weight training I am burning a lot more energy than I have been, but still maintaining a low calorie diet - most of the time. So my bad breath, and funny smelling pee, come and go.

And I'm okay with that because now I know it's just the smell of burning fat.

Burn, baby! Burn!

The Fat Guy at the Dollar Store

I am one of those women who never has fantasies about other men - not in my entire life. I don't see a hot-looking guy and start imaging how he'd feel or what he'd look like with a few less clothes on. Just doesn't happen.

So I found myself more than a little shocked this evening when I had an immediate knee jerk reaction to the overweight cashier at my local dollar store. As soon as I looked in his kind, but tired and overwhelmed, eyes I had this flash of cuddling up with him in bed. Nothing dirty. Just a comfy bed and us wrapped in each others arms.

I was so aghast that I stopped the thought there. Not only do I not fantasize about men, but this is the last man in the world I would be attracted to. He was older than I am, a good 100 pounds overweight, and way to nice for me. (Sorry, but it's true.)

As I visited with my friend over coffee later, I continued to be puzzled by my attraction to the chubby checker. And that is when I realized I wasn't...attracted that is.

When I went back over the moment before the vision of us in bed, I realize that he looked very nice. Worn out. Needy. He had very sad eyes. The poor guy looked like he needed to go to bed and/or get a hug.

As my BFF likes to say, I have a very visual thought process. Everything I think, or others say, colors pictures in my head. It just so happened that it painted me hugging the sad teddy-bear looking man while he was in bed.

This I can deal with.