I see. So your empirical research tells you “Losing 4 - 5 lbs a week will make you thin - it won’t make you lean.” Maybe true, but you see, your doing it again, your getting defensive. I’m not advocating losing 4 - 5 lbs a week or not being lean. How did that get into the discussion? I guess when I used to grab my stomach with two hands and there was a lot left over some of that could have been muscle. Okay, sure. It didn’t feel like muscle or look like muscle, but I’ll go with you on that. I’m glad I don’t have that much particular muscle any more.

I think you’re really objecting to me using projected imagery of a societal “norm” as you refer to it, as a means to an end – the end being healthy, and maybe my method of weight loss too, which I can understand. But I’m not advocating my specific method to anyone – although I think managing carbs is a very good thing as others have pointed out. You make the point that thinner is not necessarily healthier. I understand that. I’m just talking about what motivated me to get healthier. Being lean and well toned is certainly in my imagery, maybe I expressed it as thinner, (here we go with the choice of words thing again) but I’m with you on this. Your right, it should be healthy. I think I said that about 5 posts ago. But my view of it is; that when you get leaner, healthier, whichever way you express it, if you’re very overweight, you’ll probably lose weight (hopefully fat) and look thinner (leaner) when you accomplish that. I assume that’s why everyone around here lists their weight. And to me, I think I look better leaner, so that helped me. We can rationalize anything. Sure, I could be 290 lbs and have a lot of muscle - but I’m not playing professional football. Okay? Vanity; its a play on words, a pun. Time for a truce.