Hungry Eyes

Here's one thing that you may not know about me. My day job involves working for an industry that promotes healthy, active living. I think this is great! Regualr exercise and healthy eating is good for the body and the soul. I know that when I don't eat properly, I feel sluggish, grumpy and less focused. And the same goes for exercise. When I work out regularly, I don't get sick as much, I sleep better and I get less severe PMS (TMI, I know, but it's a great side effect).

J. Love, you were never fat

Why am I telling you all of this? Because, although I am an advocate of people being active and healthy, I think that our obsession with bodies in this country has gotten out of control. With the advent of HDTV, I can actually observe how thin some of the celebrities that we worship are, and to be honest, I think it's sort of gross. We live in a world where famous people and models alike are photo shopped beyond recognition on the covers of magazines. When someone like Jennifer Love Hewitt gains a few pounds and wears a size 6 (gasp!), people talk about how "fat" she is.

I used to be a wannabe actress and a promo ho. I know what it's like to walk into a place where people say you've got great legs, but your boobs are too small and you need a padded bra, stat! I've seen people who always want to lose 5 pounds, even though they look fine the way they are.

Although I am concerned about the growing obesity problem in the U.S., I'd really like to know who decided that skeletal = beautiful. We all know that men would rather look at Kim Kardashian, but women want to look like Pippa Middleton (who in my opinion has an incredibly boyish figure). Women spend money on breast and butt implants trying to look like Miss Kim K, but they are also logging miles on the treadmill to get into a bikini.

As a big girl, I think that it's okay if we don't fit into a specified mold. I know that at 5'4" with an athletic build (meaning that I tend to carry muscle and bulk up, not that I look like Misty May-Treanor), I am never going to look like Miranda Kerr. I am okay with this. I know what's realistic for my body type. I know what it looks like in peak condition. Do I still want to lose a few? Of course! I'm human, and I'm over 30, which means that my metabolism is slowing down, and it's not as easy to get back into a size 4 once you've let yourself go.

It's okay to give yourself a break. For giggles, log onto the Craigslist Personals section, if you dare (the posts can get raunchy, but they are highly entertaining). I guarantee that 90% of the "Men Seeking Women" describe themselves as "attractive" regardless of what they look like. Men don't fret over a spare tire or holiday weight. We need to stop doing this too.

My advice... Stop trying to lose weight. If you want to be active to have fun, be healthy and boost your energy levels, great! More power to you. But stop trying to fit into someone else's idea of how you should look and start liking yourself. Besides, when you finally accept yourself the way you are and quit fretting over how you look, you may be less inclined to indulge in emotional eating, shopping, drinking, etc. And that's always good!