Fat, slim, chubby, skinny….. We’re always thinking in such phrases everyday when we stand in front of our mirrors. No one has it easy; even the skinny girls whom everyone thinks get away with it. Weight issues are something we ladies would never get over. I can tell you that I’m of the skinny breed but I still get the ‘Aww, you should eat more’ lecture everyday while my heavy sister gets the ‘You should eat less’ one. The world never lets you be at ‘your’ healthy weight. Even the in-between ladies still get the ‘Your hips are fat’ or ‘Your boobs are too much’ lecture. Everyone and his mother has an opinion on how much you should weigh, no one asks how much you think you should weigh and that’s what this article explores. Your body should be about you. What you think about yourself matters way more than what anybody else thinks. Now I agree that there is an unhealthy weight both ways on the scale (too fat or too skinny), but when you’re judging your weight, do it with love. If you do not love yourself no one else would. I’m a bit skinny for my height and I try to eat healthy but I still love myself and flatter my figure with fitting clothes. And I’m happy, that’s the most important thing. When you let what people say get to you, you’re never going to see yourself at that healthy weight because no matter how many pounds you lose to get slimmer or earn to get bigger, you’d still look at yourself in the mirror and not be satisfied because you haven’t decided for yourself what’s healthy and what’s not. Even when you’re overweight, losing weight because other people say you should won’t get you happy, only if you lose weight because you ‘love yourself enough’ to do so (in order to be healthy) can you truly feel the joy of your achievement.
The men have it easy. They still get to call ladies slim, hippy or fat while their bulging beer-bellies move with each breath! It’s tragic to see ladies killing themselves in the gym just to look good – not for themselves but for their men!!! Yes it’s good to make an effort to look good but most the important reason you should do it is for yourself then other reasons can follow. I remember when a guy had the audacity to say that his beautiful, curvy girlfriend (who’s my good friend by the way) was getting too fat which would make him leave her! And the girl in question was a healthy size 8!! And I’m just sitting there wishing I could bash him over the head. Well I settled for telling him that he’s gut is getting too humongous which would soon make her bail as well. He never said much around me after that. I’m all for ladies looking out for themselves and watching their weight so they don’t get to an unhealthy weight but be realistic about what your healthy weight is. As you get older, your body tends to get heavier so don’t expect to slim down to the size 6 you were in high school when you’re in your 30s. An accurate way of calculating your healthy weight is with the Body Mass Index (BMI). This involves multiplying your height (in metres) by itself and using the answer to divide your weight in kilograms. BMI between 18.5 – 25 is considered healthy with values below 18.5 underweight and those above 25 overweight.
Regular exercise and a healthy diet are basically the keys to a healthy ‘you’. And if you find that you’re naturally a size 6 or 12, then you should love yourself the way you are as long as you keep yourself healthy. Dressing appropriately for your size and figure is a must as well for every discerning lady. So the next time you get one of ‘the lectures’ I mentioned earlier just smile and say ‘Izitchorbizwex?’.
