June: “We May Be Far More Religious, But We’re Also Far More Fat”

On June 1, halfway to Santiago de Compostela on the 500-mile Camino Francés, I wrote a post about how few Americans Marian and I had met along the way.

I attributed this embarrassing lack of Yank support for a traditional Catholic pilgrimage to many things. First on the list: we’re out of shape.

I am already planning my next Camino, probably in 2014, and I have at least two potential companions. Since I will be 62-going-on-63 at that time, my resolution is obvious:

To stay below my “Camino weight,” that is, under 198 pounds.

Four months before the Camino, at New Years 2012, I weighed 218. When I began the Camino I was down to 198, and by the time I reached Santiago on Father’s Day, June 17, I looked like Gollum. I didn’t weigh myself but the over-under would have been about 183.

Now I’m back at 198, and I need to stay there. That’s a boring, traditional New Year’s resolution, but it works for me.