Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Bianca Knows Best ... And Helps a Self-Conscious Woman
Posted by Bianca Phillips on Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 1:45 PM
Dear Bianca,
I've always been skinny and lanky, and I've been trying to put on a little weight for years. I just wanted to have a healthy-looking weight, but no matter how much junk food and high-calorie crap I consumed, I just couldn't seem to gain a pound.
Then all of a sudden, I developed a weird little potbelly. I'm still skinny everywhere else, just kind of pudgy around the middle. I'm 32, and I guess this is that whole "weight catching up with you" thing that happens. Unfortunately, it's very unevenly distributed.
Most of my friends are bigger than me, and always have been. When they noticed my new tummy, they all started cracking jokes about it. I think they feel entitled to tease me because I've always been so skinny, and they've always been bigger. But it really hurts my feelings. I'm pretty self-conscious about this new body.
I doubt you can give me exercise/eating tips for dealing with my new fat roll, but can you help me deal with my mean friends.
--- Skinny Fat Chick
Dear Skinny Fat Chick,
I'm sure your friends aren't trying to hurt your feelings. If you've been complaining about how you couldn't put on weight for years, they probably think you're pleased to have finally succeeded. After all, didn't you get what you asked for?
If they've always been larger than you, they probably still see you as their skinny friend, despite your added weight. You could opt to let them know that you're not comfortable with the new pot-belly. Explain that their teasing hurts your feelings, and you'd rather have their support in getting your body to its ideal look.
I'd suggest hooking up with a trainer. A professional can probably help you determine how to lose weight in some areas and add muscle to others, and he or she can offer tips on how to eat better. Eating "junk food and high-calorie crap" is probably the culprit for your protruding tummy. If you set a planned goal for yourself, you can achieve your ideal weight in no time. And then your friends will have no reason to tease.
Got a problem? E-mail Bianca at bphillips@memphisflyer.com
Comments (8)
Showing 1-8 of 8
I was up late last night. I learned that stress causes stomach fat (which is good, because I thought it was beer and pizza). There's this OTC drug you can take. I can't remember it's name, but they run the commercials in between Girls Gone Wild informercials.
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Are you serious? This is what we are giving advise on? I'm too skinny? Awww you poor poor thing.
Darling, that belly is called a pooch and it's what happens when you grow older. Time to starting hitting the calcium supplments, Skinny!
If this is the worst of your problems, consider yourself blessed.
LOL! This is funny! But in some way she may actually have hurt feelings from the teasing!
If it makes you feel any worse, skinny chick, my wife is 44, birthed 3 kids and has a stomach as flat as the MIssissippi Delta. Lay off the Frito's.
For some reason, being skinny is seen as an excuse for people to say thoughtless, spiteful things like HollyHollyHello's comment. I've been called all kinds of ugly names--to my face--because I'm naturally thin. Guess what, folks: Making fun of someone for being thin is just as spiteful and cruel as making fun of them for being fat.
I would never say anything to anyone about their figure, fat or thin, until they decide to write into an advise columnist about it. The point is she should be confident and happy enough in her own skin, if she's healthy, not to require the attention of putting a sob story online. (And if her friends are really the problem for teasing her, either she needs new friends, or maybe they were just sick of hearing her whine as well)
You're saying she shouldn't have written to an advice columnist to ask for some advice?
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