On being healthy - Fat or Fit?

On some occassions, you might find yourselves in a conversation where someone who is of a suitable size, weight and fitness, comments about how much she is eating. This more often than not happens at the lunch/dinner table. And of course, as all predictable storylines go, the next line which pops up of said girl's mouth would be:

"I'm so fat. I need to lose weight."

Now, depending on my relationship with said girl, I would either offer some consoling words OR roll my eyes and let the conversation slide without me. Why? Because if I did pitch in, half of the time I would get that annoyed, "what-do-you-know?" stare. Half of the women on the table would, for a few moments, simultaneously insist on how lucky I am being THIS thin.

If you count having an overactive metabolism a blessing from god, then we are in serious trouble here folks. On such occassions I usually shrug, revert back to the world inside my head and start plotting the stories I have to write. Hey, at least the people in my stories don't ask me, "does this dress make me look fat?"

Anyway, here's why we're in trouble.

We can't tell the difference between being health-conscious and being fat-conscious. We can't tell the difference between what's healthy for us, and what's detrimental for our bodies.

Whining about your weight because your primary concern is how such weight will lead to a whole catalogue of health problems is a far more justifiable way to act than worrying about weight because "that other girl is so much skinnier than me!"

Understanding the fact that our primary concern should be the status of our HEALTH is the first step to actually making weight-monitoring a permanent lifestyle. Understanding that working out, having a healthy habit IS a lifestyle and not something you do for just a couple of months, is another way of making it permanent. That's another topic altogether, so I'll touch more on that in another entry soon.

If you're starving and killing yourself even when you're already at an appropriate weight, chances are you'll NEVER be satisfied.

Those who are fat-conscious and are constantly checking the width of their thighs will most likely drive themselves crazy at the gym, reducing their weights to an anorexical status. It boils down to the point where even a "little" bit of meat on the bones is considered a plague to society. Those who spurn comfort food like ice-cream , and the punish themselves after that is just plain silly.

"Yes, one small cup of haagen daaz ice cream will turn you into a fat bear. Yup, that's the way the body works, ladies. Kudos!" In the words of a friend from another blog:

"does it make you feel attractive after not eating for 40 days, having bouts of anorexia and "going on a diet". cmon, don't bullshit yourself.

Thank you. Good night.