O M G !!!

Well, today has been a startling day. Good old Auntie (that's the BBC, for the non-Brits out there) has a little test to try on their news website asking the question "Where are you on the global fat scale?"

Nothing ventured - nothing gained, and all that jazz, so I gave it a go. To say I'm stunned is putting it mildly! Delighted? Hmmm, well I think I probably am, but I'm more stunned to be honest.

I already knew roughly what my BMI was as it's one of the things I keep an eye on and re-check, now and again. It is only a ball-park guide though. The 'normal' range is quite broad and BMI calculations aren't great across the board because of variances in body composition. For example, athletes, with higher proportion of muscle mass than most of us (me included, sadly), can come out with a poor BMI figure. Go read about it.

What I didn't know was where my value (BMI currently about 21) rated in terms of other women of my age in the UK. See the diagram!

I have been aware for a while that I see a lot more people than I used to who carry a few extra pounds. Actually, I see a lot of women in my age range who carry a lot of extra weight - it's a trend I've commented on in the past, and one which both worries me and provides an incentive not to revert to old bad habits.

But that was only my first surprise. Looking at where I am in the global position I am equally amazed. What? Most similar to a woman of my age range in Eritrea? Eritrea??? You have to be joking, surely. OK, I'm fairly slim(ish) these days, but hardly disappearing! After all, I still carry a few pounds of fat I don't need in that (apparently immoveable) belly skin pouch of mine. That truly is a shocker, in an 'er, I think it's good' sort of way.

Onwards ever...