I always hated the day when we would watch movies involving a girl with an eating disorder in middle school and high school. Suddenly people would be leaning back in their chairs and furrowing their brows at me. I could never escape their concerned glances, the way they watched me eat my salad I had packed that day. Sometimes I’d even hear them whisper to each other about how I was unhealthy. Usually I would react by rolling my eyes and getting the greasiest pizza slice the cafeteria had to offer. This wouldn’t stop them from shaking their heads when I headed to the bathroom after lunch.

In middle school I weighed around seventy pounds so people assumed I had an eating disorder. They didn’t realize I was a year younger than most kids in my grade (I’m a September baby) and hadn’t developed as much as the other girls. They also didn’t consider the fact that I had been doing ballet since I was around four years old every day after school. I didn’t have an eating disorder, I just wasn’t growing yet.

As a freshman in high school, I was a size zero and weighed around ninety eight pounds. I had no hips and no boobs to speak of, so I thought I looked normal. Apparently that still wasn’t enough for people. My classmates didn’t understand that I was suffering from low self-esteem, but not enough to make me starve myself or throw up after eating.

To say I have never had low self-esteem would be a lie; I did struggle with my body. When I finally grew from a size zero to a size five in two years because my body finally developed was hard on me. I was only (and still am) one hundred and fifteen pounds, but that was a difficult adjustment for me. No, I was no longer the small girl, and many girls are smaller than me. So for a few years in high school I no longer had people monitoring my every move in the school cafeteria after videos shown in P.E.

Then I got to college, and when I began to work out both in between classes and at night some of my friends became concerned. They watched me eating smaller meals and there came that look again. I wasn’t starving myself; I was just trying to live a healthier lifestyle. Yes, I admittedly went through a period my senior year in high school where I would skip some meals because I felt fat, but my mother quickly noticed and got me back on the right track. It never developed into an eating disorder, and when I told my friends not to worry – that it was a short-lived (as in two weeks) phase – they just wouldn’t let it go. Finally, after my friends in college spent more and more time around me, they began to realize that I didn’t have an eating disorder just because I’m thin.

A thin woman can be just as healthy as a woman with a little meat on her bones, and just because I’m skinny doesn’t mean I have an eating disorder. I am five foot four. I weigh one hundred and fifteen pounds. I eat more than three times a day and I wear extra small tops. I am very confident with my body image. I never count calories, I eat meat, and I will take a bucket of fried chicken and a large sweet tea over salad and water any day. It would be a lie to say I have never had a problem with my body image – what woman doesn’t? – but I’ve never been anorexic or bulimic.

Just as some women naturally have curves, some are just born thin. Both ends of the spectrum are judged constantly. You are either too skinny or too fat, and in both cases everyone watches you while you eat. So my question is: what makes a woman “healthy”? What is it going to take for people to stop worrying about you just because of your weight? Without knowing my lifestyle, it isn’t really fair to make an assumption about my health. Just because I’m thin doesn’t mean I’m not healthy, either, because I do eat healthy for the most part, and I work out every week. This is just who I am and I’m sick of being the subject of whispers between girls.

You may not realize it, but sometimes the “skinny” girls feel just as uncomfortable as those women shunned for their curves. Let’s do everyone a favor and stop focusing so much on weight and let everyone, regardless of their size, just be.

[We're all about celebrating a positive body image here at CollegeCandy and many of our readers claim the same thing. However we've noticed that while many commentors are quick to jump to the defense of curvy women, they're even quicker to accuse skinny women of having an eating disorder. This is one (skinny) CollegeCandy writer's reaction.]

[This post was originally written by Christie- NC State]

[We're all about celebrating a positive body image here at CollegeCandy and many of our readers claim the same thing. However we've noticed that while many commentors are quick to jump to the defense of curvy women, they're even quicker to accuse skinny women of having an eating disorder. This is one (skinny) CollegeCandy writer's reaction.]

I always hated the day when we would watch movies involving a girl with an eating disorder in middle school and high school. Suddenly people would be leaning back in their chairs and furrowing their brows at me. I could never escape their concerned glances, the way they watched me eat my salad I had packed that day. Sometimes I’d even hear them whisper to each other about how I was unhealthy. Usually I would react by rolling my eyes and getting the greasiest pizza slice the cafeteria had to offer. This wouldn’t stop them from shaking their heads when I headed to the bathroom after lunch.

In middle school I weighed around seventy pounds so people assumed I had an eating disorder. They didn’t realize I was a year younger than most kids in my grade (I’m a September baby) and hadn’t developed as much as the other girls. They also didn’t consider the fact that I had been doing ballet since I was around four years old every day after school. I didn’t have an eating disorder, I just wasn’t growing yet.

As a freshman in high school, I was a size zero and weighed around ninety eight pounds. I had no hips and no boobs to speak of, so I thought I looked normal. Apparently that still wasn’t enough for people. My classmates didn’t understand that I was suffering from low self-esteem, but not enough to make me starve myself or throw up after eating.

To say I have never had low self-esteem would be a lie; I did struggle with my body. When I finally grew from a size zero to a size five in two years because my body finally developed was hard on me. I was only (and still am) one hundred and fifteen pounds, but that was a difficult adjustment for me. No, I was no longer the small girl, and many girls are smaller than me. So for a few years in high school I no longer had people monitoring my every move in the school cafeteria after videos shown in P.E.

Then I got to college, and when I began to work out both in between classes and at night some of my friends became concerned. They watched me eating smaller meals and there came that look again. I wasn’t starving myself; I was just trying to live a healthier lifestyle. Yes, I admittedly went through a period my senior year in high school where I would skip some meals because I felt fat, but my mother quickly noticed and got me back on the right track. It never developed into an eating disorder, and when I told my friends not to worry – that it was a short-lived (as in two weeks) phase – they just wouldn’t let it go. Finally, after my friends in college spent more and more time around me, they began to realize that I didn’t have an eating disorder just because I’m thin.

A thin woman can be just as healthy as a woman with a little meat on her bones, and just because I’m skinny doesn’t mean I have an eating disorder. I am five foot four. I weigh one hundred and fifteen pounds. I eat more than three times a day and I wear extra small tops. I am very confident with my body image. I never count calories, I eat meat, and I will take a bucket of fried chicken and a large sweet tea over salad and water any day. It would be a lie to say I have never had a problem with my body image – what woman doesn’t? – but I’ve never been anorexic or bulimic.

Just as some women naturally have curves, some are just born thin. Both ends of the spectrum are judged constantly. You are either too skinny or too fat, and in both cases everyone watches you while you eat.  So my question is: what makes a woman “healthy”? What is it going to take for people to stop worrying about you just because of your weight? Without knowing my lifestyle, it isn’t really fair to make an assumption about my health. Just because I’m thin doesn’t mean I’m not healthy, either, because I do eat healthy for the most part, and I work out every week. This is just who I am and I’m sick of being the subject of whispers between girls.

You may not realize it, but sometimes the “skinny” girls feel just as uncomfortable as those women shunned for their curves. Let’s do everyone a favor and stop focusing so much on weight and let everyone, regardless of their size,  just be.

Salads = phytochemical wonderlands!

We treat our bodies pretty poorly in college. We stay up late, we put our livers to the test (daily), and we eat a whole lot of unhealthy treats. And we feel the effects on Monday morning when we’re trudging to class in pants that barely fit and a foggy, unhappy brain.

What if I told you making one small change could give your body a boost? No, I’m not going to tell you to stop drinking beer – that would be unrealistic – but I am gonna tell you to start indulging in phytochemicals.

Phyto-wha?
I know – when I first saw that word I had to Google it too. Allow me to break it down:

A recent study found that eating food containing phytochemicals at the beginning of a meal prevents oxidative stress, which can cause obesity, heart disease, joint disease, diabetes, and more.

So basically, You + Phytochemicals = Thin, Disease-Free You!

Understandably, I’m a HUGE fan. And I’m ready to hit up the phytochemical aisle at my campus grocery store.

So where can you find phytochemicals? Think healthy, plant-based foods like leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes. You don’t need acai berry for this; stick with what you know! In fact, they say that wonder pills and even juices (apple juice, cranberry juice, etc.) aren’t as beneficial for you as fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables. The study specifically mentioned the great phytochemicals in garlic, tomatoes, soy, carrots, red wine, whole grains… Wait, red wine? You know we love any excuse to down a box of red…

In order to get the best health benefits from our food, we are encouraged to “…go back to the whole sources of food, the nonprocessed foods if we can help it.” So even swapping some raw almonds for your typical granola bar on the way to class, or drinking tea instead of coffee will help add more phytochemicals to your diet.

Order matters, as well.  Eating the healthy foods BEFORE the unhealthy foods is better. This is news to me, as I usually eat vegetables or fruit after the unhealthy stuff. Usually because eating that plate of cheese fries makes me feel fat, so I follow it up with a nice, hearty celery stick. But the key is to eat the celery before the cheese fries so I will fill up on more-nutrient dense/lower calorie foods first and take in fewer calories later.

Basically, to help you stay thin and disease-free:

* The more colorful your plate is, the better. (Natural colors from fruits & vegetables, not Skittles.)
* Swap any processed foods (even relatively healthy granola bars) for unprocessed fruits, vegetables, etc. whenever possible.
* Eat the healthy stuff before the unhealthy stuff. You’ll end up eating less calories and fat.

We’re in college so we all know we won’t be giving up on the cheese fries and pizza anytime soon, but if we just balance it out with more nutritious options when we can, we’ll feel it in our bodies. And in our jeans. When we sit down. And there’s no muffin top.

[Ever see something you want but don’t have the money to buy? Ever get sick of studying/watching TV and have the urge to get crafty and make things on your own? We know! Us too! We just don’t know where to start, which is why we got some of CollegeCandy’s craftiest writers to share their favorite DIY projects with everyone. These things are easy, fun and a great way to save some serious cashola.]

I, like most girls, have a complicated relationship with my body.  After years of self-torture and dressing in clothes that would probably work better as yacht sails,  I’ve come to the conclusion that my body is certainly not perfect, but it is mine.  Ever since I started going to college, I tried to capitalize on this love/hate thing.  I (mostly) know which things look good and which things would look horrible (oh, the visions that have entered my mind in various fitting rooms…*shudder*).  However, even after years of shopping experience, I was extremely interested to know that you can actually dress yourself thinner…without the expensive services of a Personal Shopper.

Whaaa??  Why did I not know this?  I mean, if I knew you could just shave pounds off by picking a different top, I would have chucked my sneakers, bought a box of Oreos and settled down for a happy life.  Okay, maybe not, but it would make my life a lot easier if I wasn’t always worrying about potential muffin top or whatnot.  These tips will make you look more streamlined and thinner, as well as giving you a step up to better dressing (not that you need it…I’m sure if you’re reading this site you’re super fabulous already).

Tools:

Measuring Tape
A book (any book will do)
Black, black, and more black!
Confidence

Slenderize:

1.  Use that measuring tape to get your correct size.  This is useful (and necessary) for bra shopping and if you prefer shop online.  Wearing clothes the wrong size makes you look bigger, whether the clothes are tight enough to constrict blood flow or loose enough to fit your best friend in there with you.

2.  Take the book and balance it on your head.  Walk around and try to keep it up there.  This will help you maintain your posture, which you can hopefully continue to do after the book is safely back on the bookshelf.  Nothing slims you quite as quickly as standing/sitting up straight.

3.  Items that are black and well-fitting are your best friends.  Love them, caress them, wash them in color-saving bleach formulas.  As we all know, black is extremely flattering, so why not make it work for you?  However, all good things should be enjoyed in moderation (i.e. your wardrobe shouldn’t look monochromatic).  Unless you’re going for that goth look…

4.  Whatever you wear, if you wear it with confidence, you’ll look better.  Simple, right?  Just look at Lady GaGa – that girl must overflow with confidence to carry off the outfits she wears.

Bits and Bobs:

- Current trends don’t look good on everyone.  Learn to pick and choose based on your body, not the bodies of the girls walking the runways.

- Got a big butt? Don’t wear gold lame leggings (eff you, American Apparel) or anything else that is shiny, reflective or attention-grabbing on your behind.

- Color coordinate to streamline your look.  The more abstract your outfit, the more chunky and separated you’ll appear.

- Boot cut pants are universally flattering, but feel free to experiment.

It doesn’t take much, but if you follow these instructions, you should notice a more slender-looking you in the mirror!

Any Pilates enthusiast will agree that this practice can tighten your tummy in just one session. Ab exercises that are inspired by the Pilates roll up will give your mid section a flatter look and you will stand taller, which creates the illusion of looking slimmer.

Try lying on your back, legs out straight. Take a deep breath in through your nose and breath out as you pull your belly button towards your spine. Repeat, but this time when you breathe out peel your head off the ground and then – one vertebra at a time, keeping your tummy pulled inward – lift all the way up and over, rounding your back out as you reach the top. This is known as the Pilates Roll Up and to watch how it’s done, check out this video. Done regularly, your stomach will look like amazing every day. Do this move 20x before you hit the beach (yes the very same day) for some fABulous results.

Looking for a tighter butt? Try these two moves the same day you put on your bathing suit. The first is a split lunge and the second is a plank glute kick-back that is way harder than it looks. You can do these both at home right before you head out for the day. For the lunge, all you need is a step. Place one leg on top of the step and balance on the ball of your opposite foot about 8 inches behind you. Lower into a lunge until your front thigh is parallel to the ground, raise up pressing through the glute of the leg on top of the step. Repeat for 10-15 reps, then switch legs.

For the second move, get in plank position with your forearms resting on the ground. Raise your right foot in a flexed position about 6 inches above the ground, pause for a second and lower. Repeat on your opposite leg to complete 1 rep. Repeat for 15 reps. Wipe the sweat off your brow.

Switching up your diet can also contribute to a quick fix: stop drinking soda, stop drinking beer, and drastically reduce your sodium intake if possible. This will reduce the amount of water retention you are holding on to, which means less bloating. I understand the beer thing might be easier said than done, so if you know you are going to drink, avoid the midnight pizza run (duh) and don’t have a bagel to fix the morning hangover. Go with a healthy well rounded portion controlled dinner and a yummy veggie egg white omelette instead.

If you’re still feeling large, thank the heavens that cute cover-ups exist. And next year, start getting into shape before the first day of summer with this bikini body workout.

[If you liked this workout, don't forget to subscribe to DietHealth on YouTube for free and check out my blog updated weekly over at Examiner.com! It's like having your very own personal trainer at no cost. Could there be anything better? Have a question? Ask me on Twitter.]

Wait, what? Isn’t obesity a major health concern?

Actually, the New York Times reports that “despite concerns about an obesity epidemic, there is growing evidence that our obsession about weight as a primary measure of health may be misguided.”

It seems that medical research is taking a different path down the road of health, obesity, and weight loss studies. In fact, the Archives of Internal Medicine, as referenced in the Times suggests that half of overweight people and one third of obese people are actually “metabolically healthy.”

America’s obsession with beauty and looks has long stereotyped overweight people in a negative light. However, studies such as those mentioned above are proving that in many cases, thin or underweight people are in poorer health than those with a few excess pounds. The Journal of the American Medical Association conducted fitness tests and observed mortality rates of their subjects, and discovered that “fitness level, regardless of body mass index, was the strongest predictor of mortality risk.” Therefore, skinny people blessed with a fast metabolism will still find working out to be advantageous to their health, and “big boned” individuals should not be written off as being “lazy” or “sluggish,” as stereotypes suggest.

While findings from studies covering moderate weight issues are drawing new lines between “healthy” and “unhealthy,” ironically, one of the world’s greatest medical mysteries remains the issue of morbid obesity. ABC News reports that the morbidly obese Manuel Uribe, the one-time world’s heaviest man who is now trying to break the world record for weight loss, is in good health despite his enormous weight.

“I have accumulated fat,” Manuel has stated (an understatement, in my opinion), “but I’m healthy. I don’t have sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides, diabetes or high blood pressure. My heart works perfectly fine.”

Uribe’s doctor agrees and notes, “We don’t have an explanation.” This type of morbid obesity is extreme, but can be triggered by brain chemistry, genetic mutation, or a combination of psychological issues, which is why it is so baffling to doctors and scientists.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, anorexia nervosa can cause heart problems such as palpitations (or even failure), and bulimia nervosa can cause irregular heart beat or rupturing of the stomach, along with a slew of other complications.

The bottom line, according to University of South Carolina professor Stephen Blair, is that doctors should be talking to all patients about the value of physical activity, regardless of body size.

Blair raises an excellent question in the Times article:

“Why is it such a stretch of the imagination to consider that someone overweight or obese might actually be healthy and fit?”

I frowned and scrolled back up to the picture. Hm. Come to think of it, her legs don’t look like they could be snapped in two by a twelve-year-old. But plus-sized? She didn’t really look plus-sized. I was perplexed. The consistent theory was that this “oversized” model was picked from the beginning as part of Tyra’s personal agenda to make reality TV history. Or something. Making a point that you don’t have to be skinny to be pretty.

It’s a great message, it is. Except this Whitney character really isn’t not skinny. But in the context of an industry full of waifs, she instantly becomes the fat girl. It’s like picking the hottest guy in a classroom only to find that he’s less attractive on the street among other civilians; you can’t base your judgment of a person in the confines of one element.

Further Googling of Whitney Thompson ensued, and my chest started to tighten as I searched for what size she was. I felt compelled to know, and I felt even worse that I cared. Why should I? This girl’s size doesn’t affect me. And I don’t want to care, but I grew up knowing to care because of the connotations of size. I care because she’s probably around my height, 5-11 (and a half, close but not quite six feet), and so whatever label she gets is probably going to apply to me.

Most of my friends probably have an average height of 5’4″ and I grew up having conversations with people who couldn’t imagine anyone actually being anything bigger than a size six. At my smallest, on a very very good day and with a very forgiving label, I’m an 8, but pretty much always an even 10 and a 12 for my work pants (tall girls, I highly endorse BCBG for suiting). Bringing that size up in conversation always gets a great response, the widening of eyes, then the consequent rolling of them and the “Yeah but you’re tall.” Like it never occurred to them before that a size ten girl isn’t overweight. But even if I’m not fat, I’ve been made to feel that way since I can remember.

Yes, I’m tall, and maybe you can’t see it now, but I’ve been dieting since age 10, and it took me till the end of high school to get out of the chubscout stage. And still, I wasn’t self-classified as skinny. You never are if you’ve ever struggled with your weight. I was felt and looked better, that was it.

You can see why I refuse to discuss my actual weight altogether. Good for crazy-ass Tyra wearing her weight screenprinted on a bathing suit for the cameras, but for me? Thanks, I’m all set. I’ll leave it to the imagination of the masses before hearing gasps over that sizable number, or have someone try to kindly justify it with my being a “bigger girl.” It’s all about connotations, alright? “Big” is not an acceptable adjective. It’s like telling a girl who’s naturally very thin she looks anorexic. You’re striking a nerve. People don’t have control over their genes, you are what you are and you make lemonade with those lemons of DNA. There’s no need to always say what you’re thinking; if you’re different at all, you know what’s on an observer’s mind before they state the painfully obvious anyway.

Finally, I find a website that advertises Whitney Thompson as a size 10. Which means that I could borrow her jeans, I am also plus-sized, and the mass population considers me fat. Which must mean that even I could be a plus-sized model… even though I’m not plus-sized.

If I were thinner, I’d be happier, right? Because then I’d be just like everyone else… and only comparing other superficial things with them instead of it being my weight or my size. So the media teaches us, every day. I wish the weight had never even been an issue. The girl takes great pictures. Let her model in peace.

At this point, lectures from former women’s studies professors are popping in my head, saying that the labels are socially constructed and if we didn’t buy into them, they’d lose any sense of validity they have. Writing a paper and understanding these concepts and putting the idea into practice are just not the same, unfortunately. Alas, I am but one woman and these things take time.

The question was, “What’s your ideal dress size?” and the answer choices were 2-4, 6-8, and 10-12. With barely a second thought, I clicked on 6-8 (my size right now as well as my ideal) to weigh in on the poll. When I saw the results so far, with about 70 votes tallied, my jaw about hit the floor. FIFTY-NINE PERCENT of voters picked 2-4 as their ideal dress size. That’s three out of every five women!

If you’re naturally very petite or tiny and/or if your doctor has actually told you that your ideal size should be 2-4, then you’re excused from my rant right now. Everybody else: listen up. Aren’t you the same girls who stand up against unrealistic media portrayals of women, who defend the fact that women aren’t and shouldn’t all be a size 2, and speak up about how seeing skinny models everywhere is bad for women’s self-images?

If so, then HOW can you turn your backs on all that and confess in a poll that you really want to be a size 2-4?

The point of many women’s outcries against models is that models are unnaturally sized. It’s rare for a model to be so thin—as we all know, tons of models have to half-starve themselves and do zillions of crunches a day. So why is their size YOUR ideal size, CC reader? I just don’t get it.

Most women, to the best of my knowledge, wouldn’t be a healthy weight at a size 2-4—they’d be underweight (sometimes dangerously so). Here’s a clue: you don’t look hot just by strutting around in a size 2 and letting your ribs poke out through your torso. You look hot by being your own healthy weight that’s good and natural for you.

Please, can I get some agreement here?

And I’m f*&cking incensed over it.

All I want to do today is be elbow deep in butter cream frosting and rub it all over my face like war paint, while making Indian battle cries over my victory of gluttony.

And I’m so irate over it, that I cursed my salad for tasting like a f*&cking salad, instead of a cupcake.

No, I’m not about to start my period. I’m just being reminded that my eating has to be conscious in order to not fall back into a period of my life that was unhealthy and dark. A period where I let my mind, stress, and brutal standards for myself take over.

I used to have an eating disorder.

Back then, I would never acknowledge that’s what it was, the words too difficult to even think in my head. I never CALLED what I had a disorder. Instead I used words like hardcore dieting, choosing healthy options, and on the bad days I was having a “Free day“- though most people’s free days didn’t include 4 stops to 4 different fast food chains, followed by 2 boxes of cereal, followed by candy bars, followed by liquor, followed by pastries, followed by immobility. And often followed by vomiting.

I went through a period of living solely off of Atkins Bars and Starbucks “replacement meals”, and took up “forgetting to eat”… then would indulge my ex when he brought me Starbursts and devoured the whole thing since all I’d eaten that day was a diet coke and a scoop of peanut butter. I only let him take me to dinner twice in the two years we were together. Twice.

I was in the midst of a culture (Los Angeles…of course) that would prefer my body to look like a prepubescent 12 year old girl, rather than that of a woman’s body–unless the curves were properly placed, i.e. Boobs, ASS, and tiny waist. This body is as rare as finding a wolf sauntering down the highway, though I figured if I couldn’t have THAT, I would look thin.

My thin 3/4 dress size was the biggest size at every audition. Every. Audition. I was always cast as a “character”, or “friend of” the leading lady.

The double zeros warped my mind so much that a desire to be thin (which started off as vanity) ended up a mind battle that had nothing to do with ME but with my thinking. The constant calorie checking on my cell phone calculator, people calling you “crazy” and not understanding whatsoever the inner battle, the intense two-a-days at the gym, the popcorn and hot coffee as a meal starting to burn my stomach, the thinking obsessively about what I COULD eat next….and then a day, or a week, or two would hit– and I’d feel so deprived I’d turn into a ravenous animal with absolutely no control over my desire to eat everything I saw.

It was an out of body experience, a loss of control so intense I can’t even IMAGINE behaving in this way now. I was feeling lack, self destruction, the need for perfection, and the need for control.

I have been healthy and completely safe from my previous behavior for a little over a year.

I have been kind to myself, patient and accepting of my body. Of food. I’ve allowed myself ice cream even if it meant I ate it 4 times a week. I’ve started cooking and baking and learning to appreciate the art of food.

And finally; I’ve accepted the curves of my stomach, the roundness of my face, the strength and contour of my legs, the length and grace in my arms and that little extra I carry in my ass.

But there are days, when I’m still reminded of the mindfulness that I have had to acquire to maintain balance and a healthy lifestyle.

I almost always want a bagel and cream cheese for breakfast, I almost always want to say yes to dessert, I almost always want to live off of thick macaroni and cheese and garlic bread and there are days when I almost look in the mirror and get angry for being less than an unrealistic standard of beauty. I realize, on those days, I have to change the standard and BE beauty, see it in myself–be my own Dove campaign.

On those days, I have to remind myself of how far I’ve come and how strong I’ve become. How I made it through a situation and a lifestyle that didn’t even seem abnormal to me in Hollywood. I have to remind myself that food is to be celebrated and enjoyed, that macaroni and cheese can be amazing if it isn’t “the enemy” and that red velvet cake shouldn’t be forbidden breakfast, but an indulgence that is a pleasure.

I have to remind myself that a lot of people don’t understand, but a lot of people do….and I have overcome this gracefully and will continue to accept and live in the body and mind I’ve been given.

And if you’ve been there–you can too.

Thin may be in on the runways, but the blogosphere is providing heavy men and women with a place to inspire each other–not to try the latest fad diet or lose that last 5 pounds, but to accept themselves as they are.

The fat acceptance movement has been growing steadily in response to the dwindling sizes of models, celebrities, and the average man or women who feels pressured to live up to those unrealistic standards. The primary message behind fat acceptance is one of health, not excess or loss of control. Because tools like BMI calculators do not take into account frame size or muscle percentage, many athletes and other healthy people are categorized as fat or even obese. This has contributed to shock figures like “6 out of 10 Americans are overweight“.

Some doctors, however, are not convinced. They say that the majority of people who are overweight are that way because of their lifestyle. Doctors are afraid that the fat acceptance movement might deter people from trying to lose weight and get healthy. This competes with the fat acceptance notion that some people are fat or skinny the way other people are tall or short.

Either way, the fatosphere can be a positive and empowering place for people who are sick of unhealthy dieting and snide comments about their weight. It’s a way for people who are comfortable with their bodies to push back against the growing pressure to lose weight, and find like-minded friends in the process.