I like skinny

“I must have a problem, because I don’t have the standard body measurements” – Nathalie Debora Linger-Sumter (35), married, mother of Valentino Junior (1), employee at the municipality of Amsterdam. Member of the christian church “de Rots”.

Oh my, I love good food. With a passion! With me, taste makes waist. I can’t blame it on anything else. Growing up I was a very skinny girl untill I reached puberty. From then on I gained four pounds a year. Finally, at the age of 23, I had the body I dreamt of. A feminin body with curves. Loved it! But when I got older I still gained four pounds every year and almost lost the curves I loved so much. But no worries, I still think I look hot and curvilicious!

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The only thing I might work on is my belly. A gift I received from my pregnancy. If my belly was a little bit flatter, certain clothes would fit me better and more beautiful. And noone could tell I just had a baby.

I realize that I could do something about it. But to me it is not such a big deal. I’m not really bothered by not having a sixpack and to make that “life changing decision” to get one.

It seems that many people who desire to create the perfect image and body, are not happy at all

Being skinny and therefore having the perfect body is one of the European ideals of beauty. Most of the time, my friends seem to be very occupied with the idea of being healthy and loosing weight. They want to involve me in their journey because, from their perspective, I must have a problem a problem because I don’t have the standard measurements.

I do understand they have my best interest and want to stimulate me to loose some weight. But, being the person I am, I always make it clear that I am very happy and confident with my body and my weight. I like skinny ladies. However, the words skinny and healthy don’t always fit in one sentence. If we all looked like a Stepford wife there would be no diversity and uniqueness.

Also, if you put so much pressure on being “picture perfect” you are more likely to get an eating disorder. Therefore, well meant advice can work in a negative way. Especially if you are insecure and not able to peer pressure of society.

Because of this “ideal beauty image” it can be a challenge to find the right clothing. Especially when you are a plus size woman. Sometimes I see women trying to squeeze themselves into a size 8 when the reality is closer to a size 14. I think they send out a wrong message because you assume that they are a hopeless case.

I know a lot of ladies who know how to present themselves in a classy way. I even think that we dress better than our skinny sisters. Perhaps this is due to the fact that we need to make more effort to look good and dress sharp.

If you can restore the balance in your body, losing weight is a realistic goal for everybody. I am convinced that taste makes waist. After having a stomach surgery, it is likely you will to loose weight. That’s the whole purpose. But why do you loose weight? Because you are forced to eat less.

I believe that eating a balanced, healthy diet and the right amount of food  is the key to succes. Ofcourse, traumatic situations can occur in life, which can lead to an unhealthy eating problem. My advice? Whenever you are confronted with those kinds of challenges, you need to know who you are and accept yourself.

What makes me strong is knowing who I am in Jesus Christ and the way God looks at me. And I am what God tells me to be. With that in mind, nothing can break me. Not even an eating disorder. As long as I know my worth. That’s how every journey in life starts: Love yourself!