Clarifications

There are a few things I want to clarify.


During the past festivities which involved meeting family members whom I usually only see once a year, I was asked several questions regarding my weight loss. Which was understandable, since I looked like a pregnant whale the last time they saw me.


BUT.


It was a bit frustrating for me to explain things, since they already have their own conceptions on weight loss methods.


Sure, I could have gone into a whole tirade about counting calories, macro-nutrients, and the immense benefits of weightlifting, but I knew for a fact that I'd lose my cool and get more and more pissed as several other people tried to refute my tried and proven methods with old wives' tales they've heard and believed for years.


So, item number 1 that I want to clarify - it's much easier for me to quote eating less as one of the main factors of losing the weight, because technically speaking it is an accurate way to convey this type of calorie deficit - less food = less calories consumed. But this generally leads to constant hunger, and more accurately, I count my calories and macros and make sure that I'm in a calorie deficit (this obviously flew out the window during aforementioned festivities).


I legit have a whole spreadsheet to count my daily calorie and macro intake. But it's soooo much easier to say "just eat less", than to have to explain the whole shebang and get cut off because one has lost interest.


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And then I got asked how I exercised - I said I went to the gym, not for the treadmill, but for the weights.


If you didn't know, there's a whole plethora of people who don't know how muscle growth works, and how men's bodies are different from women's bodies. Sure, they know all about the societal expectations and child production part, but that's it.


So point number 2, muscle growth requires lots of protein, patience, and testosterone. Testosterone is present in both men's and women's bodies, and is the "opposite" of estrogen. You could call them the male hormone and female hormone.


Testosterone is produced is much larger amounts in men's bodies, and it influences body hair growth, muscle mass, and sexual libido. Women's bodies produce more estrogen vs testosterone, so women in general have less muscle and less body hair.


Having said that, it is immensely difficult for women to gain muscle, and regular weight lifting (even if women lift heavier weights than men) will only serve to tone the muscle without bulking. It will take hundreds of dollars worth of protein formulas and a much longer period of time for women to get close to a more masculine male physique.


So despite what someone else says about a woman they know who do weight lifting but got bigger, weight lifting is an effective method to lose weight for women. It's even better than pure cardio because lifting = muscles = more body weight hence more calories burned, and also muscles = higher and longer metabolism (calorie burning) vs pure cardio.


And I've been doing weight lifting for a whole year, and if you agree that I have lost weight over this past year, would you not also agree that what I'm doing is effective is weight loss?


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Having my dad away for long periods of time for work meant that we had to learn to do lots of stuff, and my dad usually taught me to do some household repair work, and tbh you can learn practically anything from the internet now.


Previously, my bedroom had no proper work space - it was either sitting on the floor with the laptop on a chair/bed, or on a tiny collapsible table. Since the boyfriend has semi-moved in and we spend quite some time on our laptops, even for leisure activities, we needed a proper space that didn't jeopardize our (my) postural issues further.


I went to where everyone gets their furniture - IKEA.


I bought two smaller tables that summed up to the size that we wanted, then assembled one of them on my own. I then contemplated whether I wanted the boyfriend to assemble his own, but I had to clean the room, and loose table legs on the floor was gonna further piss me off.


So I just put the damn thing together so I could get other shit done.


Some family members insisted that this will further "perpetuate" the boyfriends non-active role, and that I will have to do everything in the future by doing thing.


Tbh, I don't mind. I've always tried to do "manly" things on my own, especially if it's in front of guys (which did wonders for my love life #sarcasm). And I didn't do this to "spoil" anyone, but rather to save my sanity and prevent myself from unnecessarily blowing my top just because I had to handle a few extra loose table legs while cleaning the floor.


Yes, I somehow perceive an hour's work to screw on legs to a table less work than having to navigate loose shit lying around while cleaning the floor.


So assembling one table isn't gonna somehow guilt me/perpetuate him into throwing the ball to me in the future when it comes to household handiwork.


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And no. I don't want kids. Earth is overpopulated with humans, and I really, really don't want to be tied down for so long, and likely have my kids hate me and resent me for being a shitty parent.