Essay from a Pleasantly Plump Woman

When did we stop saying "pleasantly plump" and start saying "fat?"  Just wondering.

If you would like a bit of music, just click play.

I looked at the new thinner versions of the iMac, iPhone and iPad.  "Thin is in", that's for sure.  We even have our technology on a diet.  Is thin really better?   I wonder.

When I was a girl, America wasn't obsessed with weight like they are today.  You rarely saw anyone jogging down the street, and never once did I see any girl in gym class resemble the Victoria Secret models.  No, no, there were thin people and fat people and in-between people and I think that we just accepted them for being different.

I have been pleasantly plump since I turned fifty years old.  Partially because I had a knee injury and was unable to continue the rigorous exercise required of my metabolism  to maintain an acceptable weight.  Partially because change of life can make us a bit plumper.

Yesterday I had to go to the doctor for a follow up exam.  My Doctor had a young intern, a three year med student with him.  The intern looked at me with that familiar condemnation I am used to by now.  My doctor is a bit more diplomatic about my weight.  The intern asked me what I ate and how often I exercised, and proceeded to tell me all about life, and the dangers of being overweight.

I stared at the two men, clearly younger than I was when I was last in shape.  At forty-five years old I was hiking mountains, in the gym on the Stairmaster for 45 minutes daily. Every morning I walked down to Happy Valley, which took about two hours back and forth from Tai Tam.  I wondered, would I out live these two fellows.  Because as you know, health issues can lurk deep within even the most fit bodies.

I am 64 years old, I have never had a heart attack, cancer or been hospitalized for the past years.  Except for braking my ankle in 2000, and giving birth naturally to my two daughters.  I have also not had any surgeries since I was 26 years old, and that was a minor surgery.  I gained weight while I was pregnant at 38 years old with my first, and 42 years old for the second, but was able to easily shed the weight by being an exercise maniac.

Why all the photos of trees for this post, you might ask.

My mom tells a story of when she had just given birth to me.  She had always been very thin and suddenly felt heavy with no clothes in her closet that fit.  She went to the dress shop to purchase a house dress.  The lady in the shop said to my mom, knowing she was clearly self-conscious.  "There are fat trees and there are skinny trees and they all live in the same forest".  In other words, accept yourself.

I rarely overeat, in fact if you ask any of my friends they will tell you I rarely eat at all.  I get a fair amount of exercise, but certainly not the kind I used to do before my knee injury.  Yet this pleasantly plump woman remains plump.  I am comfortable in my skin and recognize that my metabolism is here to stay.

At 64 years old I have learned allot of life lessons.  One of them is that the only thing I am sure of is that God is still in charge.

I prefer my old fat iPad, iMac and iPhone.  I tend to choose soft padded furniture to sit on, rather than the slim elegant uncomfortable type.  I like the fat snowflakes compared to the thin ones.  I spend little or no time on diets of any kinds and I fill my days thanking God for each day.

Rather than keep this life lesson to myself, I thought I would share it today.  If you are able...enjoy exercising, watch what you eat, but please know that if you too are a pleasantly plump woman, you are unique and God loves you just the way you are...