Cultural body dismorphia.

    First off I want to say sorry for the late post. I have a headache and just couldn't look at my computer screen. Now, back to the post.


     Fran, I am so sorry to hear that you have had to deal with unsupportive people. What you need to remember is that they don't know you and more importantly, they're wrong.

     Losing weight is not easy. The entire concept goes agains how we as a species have evolved. It was our ancestors who ate everything they could and had energy reserves to survive a famine that lived long enough to enjoy sexy baby making time. Naturally thin people, who can't keep weight on would not have survived in pre-agrucaulteral civilizations. So those people can shut up and silently thank whoever invented the plough. We are filled with genes that makes us want to do nothing more than eat, relax, and enjoy sexy times. It's astounding that people leave their houses at all.

     If that doesn't help how about some facts. The average woman's dress size in north america is a 14 (B38", W33", H43"), this is considered a plus size. Oh, and she's 5' 3.8' tall.  64% of woman are pear shaped and can not fit the fashion standard of B35", W27", H37.5". Most people can't recognize what the average sizes are, and more importantly, they don't know what a healthy body looks like. A healthy waist measurement for a woman is under 35", and 40" for a man both these measures are well about the cultural ideal and would probably not be seen as healthy by most people.

   The next time you hear someone babble on about weight again Fran give them a good looking over (you know in a non-creepy way). Are they a paragon of fitness and health? Chances are the answer is no, more likely they're skinny fat. Skinny fat is when someone weighs less but has a high body fat ratio, making them look good in clothes but horrible naked. These people may think they're healthy because they can fit into smaller clothing sizes, but they are actually in worse physical shape than a heavier individual who works out.

    The most important thing Fran is this, don't give them real estate in your head. These are not the tenants you want. Maybe you should try watching a couple episodes of How To Look Good Naked, it may help your motivation.