Never a Skinny Minnie

My parents raised me with a pretty good self body image. I was a skinny kid. Then I puberty hit and I moved into dorms with an unlimited meal plan at the age of 16. Obviously, I gained some weight. Freshman 15 hit about 2 years early. I don’t think I’ve ever been fat. Or even ‘chubby’. Maybe for a few months sometime at BC when I hated everything and wanted to be in Texas. But other than that, I’m about the same. Normal.

I know that my body type and appetite will prevent me from ever being one of those skinny-minnie girls. I’d love to have thin thighs and a flat stomach. Who wouldn’t? But yeah. I also like to have ice cream when I feel like it and a few beers on the weekends. Flat stomach they do not make. And I’m okay with this. If I stuck to a diet or actually went outside and ran a few miles on a regular basis, I could probably get closer to the universal ideal. But eh, it’s really not that important to me. I only exercise now on a less-than-regular basis because I’m kind of scared of getting heart disease or diabetes in the future, particularly considering the shite I put into my body on a regular basis, i.e. the ramen I had for dinner.

So yeah. I’m me. I’m short, not fat, and not skinny. 99% of the time I like my body because I own it and I control it.

Only there are some occassions when I kind of wish for something else. Like last night, when I was out at a bar with a few girls from work, who all happen to be a few inches taller than me, have longer and straighter hair than me, and probably weigh a few pounds less.

Yes, confession- I’d like to have longer legs, straighter hair and be skinnier. But sometimes I don’t feel like wearing heels, ironing my hair out, or skipping dessert or fries. And my Tex-Mex genes don’t really lend themselves to statuesque slimness a la Kate Moss. At all. Eva Longoria is probably the skinniest Tex-Mex and I’m pretty sure she never eats and works out 4 hours a day. I, on the other hand, have an appetite and have a regular job to attend to, so her plan’s out for me. I’ll never be like those girls I was jealous of last night.

I do know that I can work out a little bit more often and see pretty good results. I can get muscle definition and feel stronger, I can run farther and feel healthier – when I take control. I’ve had bouts of extreme-healthiness in my life so I know that results are possible. When I get these twinges of jealousy of girls with other body types, it’s sort of like the kick in the butt that I need. I can’t make myself taller or wicked thin, but I can be more fit.

So thanks girls, I’ll be working on that a little harder now… for a while. I’ll aim to frequent the gym more often and will be eating a bit healthier and maybe even wearing heels more often. Because I want to. All the same, stronger or not, I will always be cool with how I look and my hamburger intake. It’s all good.