Crossing the threshold

A threshold is defined as “the starting point for a new state or experience.” One threshold in my life relates to my weight. A few years ago I discovered what I will call an “attractiveness threshold” that corresponds to my weight. Rather than put the actual poundage here (this stuff is a bit traumatic for us girls) I’ll use BMI. My BMI threshold is 25.4 – just a hair above the cut-off for normal weight, a smidge into the overweight category. When I am at or below this BMI, I get more “looks” and interest from the opposite sex. I noticed this during a period of weight loss when I was living on the East Coast and I encountered a lot more people on the street, when using public transportation, etc. Of course the use of public transportation and more walking is what helped me lose weight during that period also, but that’s another topic.

I realize that increased self-confidence and happiness due to weight loss can be a contributing factor to boosting attractiveness, but I still think that the idea of a BMI attractiveness threshold has merit.

Every guy has his own preference for female body type, but I would wager that this threshold holds up for most men and even across cultures. Probably it has a basis in human evolution. I know that researchers have studied the human male’s preferred “waist-to-hip ratio” and found that men prefer a waist significantly narrower than the hips (I’ve got this one down pat), but I’m not sure if anyone has studied men’s preferences for BMI in women. (I’m too lazy to look it up at this time…)

Currently, I am above my self-determined attractiveness “threshold,” but I am slowly making my way back towards it. My BMI now is 26.3, which puts me at the low end of overweight. Thankfully I have never been in the obese category, but in my adult life I have fluctuated between about 24.4 and 27.5, the highest being my senior year of college. For the past month I’ve been on Weight Watchers and it’s working, but slowly. My goal is to get down to 24.5 BMI again, putting me in the clear for normal weight and well below my threshold. I really like to eat – I’m a “foodie” – and I’m not so much into running or high-impact exercise, so honestly I don’t know if I can make it back to 24.5 BMI and sustain it. But I will be happy if I can settle around 25.0 BMI, which is still below my threshold and is a weight at which I’ll be able to fit into some stylish apparel hanging in my closet now that won’t zip up when I try it on.

This post might sound self-absorbed and superficial, but obviously one of my big goals is to find love, and being healthy and fit is a no-brainer for making yourself more desireable to the dating world as well as a better partner once you snag someone. I’m not deluding myself that if I lose weight my life will be perfect and Prince Charming will fall out of the sky, but maybe it will get me one step closer?

Related links: http://www.livescience.com/health/060213_attraction_rules.html