Sunday, December 2, 2012

Confessions of a Thick Girl

I have a confession.

I really hate it when women constantly fuss about their weight.

Especially when they are skinny.

I find it kind of ridiculous to pass on the cake on a special occasion when you are a zero.  
For the sake of being skinny.  I'm just sayin'.

I find it downright offensive when said size zero goes on and on about her own weight or figure.  I mean you may as well just stick the fat sign on my forehead... because if you are worried about your size zero frame... I should hide in a tent.  Because I'd have to be dead to be a zero.  Literally. 

When did we get so obsessed that we couldn't kick back and enjoy ourselves every once in a while?
I'm sure a skinny person will argue with me... but has a little cake ever killed anyone?

Here is my thought, kill me if you want to.
But if you've been on a diet for the past year, maybe its time to get off.

All things in moderation.
I'm a fan of self-control.
But not obsession.
Because refusing to eat... ever... isn't moderation either.
There's another name for it... and its crazy.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not knocking exercise or water-drinking.
Those are good things.
But being so hung up on numbers on a scale that you can't enjoy a dinner out without counting calories... 
that is where the crazy comes into play.

While I think we have a responsibility to do our best, to keep our bodies in shape, to not sit on the couch and eat Krispy Kremes every night, I also think that the outside is a reflection of the inside.  And I don't really trust someone that is SO concerned with the outside that they can't have fun.  Or that they prevent others from having fun by constantly talking about weight and weight gain and weight loss and goooood grief!

Here's my philosophy, for what it is worth.  And I have a big booty, so you skinny people I'm sure will take it with a grain of salt.  Drink water, exercise, and eat nutritiously, most of the time.  But when there is fun to be had, skip a few hours of sleep.  Eat cake at parties.  Work hard on your swimsuit body, and then deal with the fact that you aren't a supermodel.  And nobody really expects you to be.  And that's okay.... and nobody wants to hear about it constantly.  Enjoy your life...you only get one.  And I don't know too many old people who say, "Man, I'm so glad I skipped out on all of that cake to earn this body."  Seriously.

I read a quote today that summed up my thoughts pretty well.
"The scale can only give you a numerical reflection of your relationship with gravity.  That's it.  It cannot measure beauty, talent, purpose, life force, possibility, strength, or love."

Perspective.  Its all about perspective.  And the perspective of this girl is that a little fun is okay.  And that size zero isn't everything.  In fact, it might be a whole lot of nothing.  ;)


3 comments:

Katie said...

So, I COMPLETELY agree with what you're saying.

Buuut, as a size 0, I think it's also important to remember that a size 0 doesn't always look the way people think it does.

Since I'm under 5' tall, being a size 0 is incredibly healthy for me. It's the size I wear when I'm somewhere near the middle of the appropriate weight range for my height. If I were a size 4, just as an example, I would be grossly overweight for my height. A dear friend of mine, who is a size 4, but near 6' tall, looks much, MUCH too thin. A size is just a size. Nothin' else.

I don't consider myself thick. And I'm definitely not skinny. I'm usually called "athletic", but whatever I am, I'm just right for me. And though I walk every day pushing Maile's stroller, and attempt to eat healthy, I also regularly enjoy pizza nights, and a slice of cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory with enough calories for 3 days. I don't beat myself up too terribly if I miss a walking day, and I certainly don't count calories when we order our favorite Asian takeout. ;)

All that being said, I loved this post. As women, we are just so hard on ourselves, and other women, when what really matters is that we respect our and each other's bodies, whatever shape they may be, and focus on the truly important things in life!

Lauren said...

You raise a very good point. And I hope you know that this post didn't refer to petite people who are naturally a small size. (I'm just jealous of those people, but I don't think there's anything wrong with them, baha.)

I recently went to a get-together where cake was served. And there were at least five women who passed on it... for various reasons. "I already ate dinner..." and "I haven't been eating healthy today" and "I've got to eat healthy after Thanksgiving" etc. And then those same women (who are not of a petite stature) were later discussing how difficult it was to find jeans that are size 0. It was frustrating to me, as I looked around and there are plenty of other sizes there...and how must they feel?

I'm a size 8, and I'm within the normal weight range for my 5'8" height. So I find it frustrating to listen to that kind of conversation...especially from women within the church. It is as if we believe that if we aren't supermodels, we aren't worth anything. And I prefer to think otherwise. ;)

But you, Katie, are not the size zero that I was referring to. You are healthy and happy and still eat unhealthy on occasion. :) And that is what I wish more women would aspire to. :)

Katie said...

Ha! Yeah, I hardly ever refuse food. Even when it's popular to do so! At that get-together, I would've been all, "Oh, goody! More for me." ;)

I also agree that that kind of talk is particularly frustrating among women of the Church. I have absolutely seen weight discrimination within the Body of Christ and, to be frank, it's unacceptable and shameful.

I'm going to share this post with my sister. She does not have a petite frame and has been trying (too hard, I think) to lose her baby weight. I try to remind her that she's healthy, and that she isn't 16 anymore, but maybe she will see it differently, "hearing" it from someone else!