So this was an interesting TV programme... Not that you need a TV programme to ignite
the plus size debate. I’m cynical of the label ‘plus size’ to describe
sizes 14 upwards- as someone who views herself as slim, I wear a size 14 in jeans (these ones are the long leg Eden range from Dorothy Perkins and I own about 5 pairs click here).
Two of my recent lovely buys from H&M and
Primark for my holidays were a size 16, which I know is ridiculous because at
6ft 1 and 11 stone, 3lb, there’s no way I’m a size 16- this is all down to cut,
style and the way sizes vary widely on the British high street.
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| Oh dear...size 16 bikini bottoms, damn you Primark! But hey, I look good! |
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| Shock horror- size 16 shorts!! Those abs coming along nicely though...thanks for showing them off, H&M. |
I did leave one comment on Twitter about the
show, saying how I thought the girls were fabulous but was concerned about their
health and was immediately told that it was none of my business...hence this post. Sorry Twitter, but 120 characters just wasn't enough for this one!
As I’ve said about this food blog from the start, I’m not a
nutritional or fitness expert but I believe that moving around a little and
putting the right food in your mouth allows your body to naturally be its
healthiest weight and shape. I despair
at starvation to be supermodel skinny and loathe fad diets like Juice Plus and
slimming pills. The only things I have
cut out of my own diet are refined white sugar and white carbohydrates. As a girl who needs carbohydrates and sweet
things though, I have swapped all white carbs for brown alternatives and use
unrefined sugars such as maple syrup to sweeten dishes. If I want chocolate, ice cream, takeaway,
booze or a humungous chip barm on white bread, I’ll have it....BUT ONLY IN
MODERATION and as a treat rather than it being a regular part of my diet! I’m slurping on wine as we speak, in case you
were wondering.
I truly admired the confidence of these girls on the
programme and the way they inspired that same confidence in others. As a tall girl, I was forever bullied at
school, found it hard to buy clothes that fit and wish that I’d had some sort of a role model like the bloggers
featured on the show. The girls were
fun, bright and had beautiful faces I would die for but for me, I just felt
that the health risk associated with being a real plus size (and by this, we’re
talking well over a size 18) is just too great.
Being overweight is problematic enough, let alone when you throw full on
obesity into the equation. When I was
10lb heavier last year, I was still within a healthy BMI. However, as a runner, those extra 10lbs made
a difference! I was slower; there was
certainly more bounce around my hips and I suffered with my knees too. Plus, the only reason why I was carrying the
extra weight in the first place was because I was sneaking too many sweet
treats and the weight was all down to the main enemy: refined white sugar. My body didn’t need the sugar and when I
ditched it from my diet, I ditched the excess weight as a consequence of that
healthy decision. Being obese and
overweight is quite simply a health risk, and I stand by that opinion no matter
what backlash I may get for saying it.
‘Perfection’, and all our warped views of this, should not
be about a skinny body, it should be about a HEALTHY body. If you exercise and put the right things into
it, this will be a natural process that happens to your body as a result of
your choices and you WILL look your very best.
Yes, there are factors outside an individual’s control, plus some health
and medical issues that can cause weight problems. However, I stand by my opinion that the
majority of people who are either obese or extremely skinny didn’t get there as a result of eating a
healthy, balanced diet which cuts out the bad, chomps on the good and has a little
treat now and again. Rather than
worrying about clothing companies catering to our differing sizes, perhaps the
emphasis should be on educating people, regardless of their size, as to what
your body needs to be in its very best and healthiest shape. We need to love our bodies enough to treat
them like a temple, then THEY can work the magic all on their own to transform
into the size they want to be for you.
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