I feel pressure from society to be fatter.  It's swung the other way in some cases.  When you hear things like "thin isn't healthy!" or "men don't like skinny girls" or "women with curves are more attractive", it's just victimizing another new group of people: the naturally skinny.

As long as people are healthy, it shouldn't matter how much they weigh (or how big their nose is, or how big their boobs are, or what colour their hair is).  Unfortunately, society doesn't see it that way and continues to impose its values on everybody... including impressionable young people.

Have you ever heard the song, Beautiful by Bethany Dillon.  I think that song is appropriate for this post.  I think many women go through this type of thing, even the thin ones.  If it's not trying to be thin, it's something else like their hair, nose, eyes, lips, cheeks, boobs, butt, etc.  I have definitely been there.  I've been made fun of for my nose.  For a long time I struggled with thinking my nose was too big, which I suppose sometimes I think about it now but not really much anymore.  I have begun to realize that my nose really does fit my face well.  All of my other features are big so if my nose weren't then it wouldn't look as good I think.  I think it's good to realize that your differences are what make you, you.  If you were exactly like every other woman then how would anyone tell us all apart??  I mean I think it's good to be healthy and not quit doing things the right way (eating well, exercise, etc), but I also think it's good to understand that you should be doing those for the right reasons not the wrong.  For yourself.  Not for anyone else (well except for God, since your body is the temple of His Holy Spirit).  It's good that you realize that.  People (and the Lord, of course) will and do love you, for you.

sure.  there are other pressures TO BE.  first, good for you.  i am glad you no longer succumb to the pressure to be thin.  i don't like that young women don't feel beautiful because they don't fit a narrow defintiion of beauty. 

as for me, i grew up thinking i was ugly because  i'm the "ethnic" type, though i am thin.  so there's always something,yes?    now i'm proud of my different look.  you can only be yourself. 

@tiny_fists_of_fury - I have and I love it!

@Starshadow309@xanga - Thanks! I agree with you 100%!

@too_pretty_to_die@xanga - I'm not trying to stereotype anybody, I'm sorry you got that message. But this is just how I began to see myself as beautiful just they way God made me. I like to be healthy, not thin. There is a defference. I hope you are able to lose the weight because I know it will be so good for you!

there is a pressure there, but you can ignore it when you realize that you ARE beautiful.

@tiny_fists_of_fury - I LOVE that Bethany Dillon song. I cried the first time I heard it. And you're right, it totally fits this post.

I'm in the process of losing weight, and I've struggled with wanting to be content with myself as I am RIGHT NOW and wanting to be better, but I think that better for me doesn't necessarily mean thin, it just means healthy (which I think is a point of your post, too).  And at the weight I was 50 pounds ago, I was not healthy.  I was not treating my temple the way it needs to be treated, and I was at risk for so many healthy issues.  If I'm going to be around to be a mom some day, I knew I'd have to change.  Because I've always been overweight I never felt much pressure to be like the Hollywood ideal because it seemed so impossible, and now I don't want to be like someone else; I just want to be the best version of me possible!

Superficial-that is what the media is. None of those "beautiful" pictures are real, and the models are wrecks-- eating disorders, coke, diet pills.. I am happy that you are no longer struggling with this and happy with who you are. they say the prettiest girls are the happiest.

I'm trying to lose weight, and from what I understand eating breakfast actually will help the weight loss process, because it starts our metabolism earlier in the day. You are correct that cutting calories often does not lead to weight loss, because often times when we starve ourselves our body goes into 'starvation mode.' The best way to lose weight is to speed up our metabolism. Metabolism is the reason why some people can eat a ton of food and not gain any weight, and some people who are overweight can go on diets and not lose any weight. The best way to speed up your metabolism is to eat frequent, small, healthy meals, as well as to exercise. It's very hard to eat healthy because cooking healthy usually takes much longer than just grabbing a bag of chips, but eating healthy will also greatly benefit your diet.

I agree with you that we shouldn't try to be thin for society's sake, but I also think that overeating and gluttony are sins. We may not overeat anymore, but your and my current weight is a visible sign of our sin and overeating from earlier in our lives. I'm trying to lose weight so I can live longer and do more for God's kingdom. My pastor is severely overweight, and it has definitely affected his ministry in a negative way.

You are right that outward appearance is not the most important thing, and you are right that the media overplays the importance of being thin, but it is also true that the human person is both body and soul, and we shoud strive to have both a healthy body and soul. Many people have unhealthy bodies and souls because of bad choices that they made early in their lives, and now they should seek to restore their health through dieting, prayer, etc.

Saying you never want to be thin because you are overweight and can't seem to lose the weight is like saying you never want to be free of sin because you are a sinner and can't seem to stop. Of course it is difficult and we will fall, but that doesn't mean that God doesn't call us to perfection (Mt. 5:48).

The question eventually becomes, does God want people to be overweight? I don't think He does, because I think overeating or overindulging of any sort for that matter is a sin. Why is overindulging a sin? Because overindulging is an attempt to be content in something other than God. When we don't find contentment in that first cheeseburger, car, house, etc, we can getting more and more in the hope that more will lead to contentment, but it never does! Contentment can only be found in God.

This Was Very Touching To Read.

I Can Relate To Your Frustration. I'm Glad You Saw The Truth.

I Have Suffered From Bulimia With Anorexic Tendencies For 6 Years. It Has Put A Significant Toll On My Body.( Which We All Know Is The Temple Of Christ) The Spirit Lives Within Us And My Destructive Ways Are Adding More Unneccesary Scars.

I Know When The Lord Comes We Will All Be Created Anew, Shrouded In Light And Glory, Made Perfect In His Image. Yet The Struggle Still Persists. Its About Giving This Up 110% To God. But I Also Need To Let Go Of All The Baggage That Started This Battle In The First Place.

Anyways I Appreciate Your Post. And Your Right God Has Set Each Individual Apart From The World. He Has A Mission For All Of Us. I Intend To Pray For Everyone To Stay True To Themselves And The Lord.

We Are Perfect In His Eyes.

i was thin [i'm a rather small-sized person], but i thought my face was ugly and i hated my hair with a passion, because of the same magazines and movies. they made me hate my self. i think once you start comparing yourself to an image, it's going to tear you down in one way if not another.

@MissSmartHottie@xanga - Excuse me, I am not hypocrite, just because I am happy just the way I am doesn't make me a liar nor a hypocrite! I grant you I don't look like the models, but I don't want to, lately I have really been able to see how God sees me. I am beautifully and wonderfully made. He new me before I was even in my mother's womb. My body is a temple...etc... I still get frustrated with the magazines and models and of course the media, but I am not a hypocrite. That was very cruel of you to say so!

Great post.