There’s a lot of media coverage discussing being overweight, dieting, and so on but not many about being a healthy underweight. I am considered “underweight” but “athletic” according to the BMI scale. So when I’m out and I turn down an offer or more offerings of something unhealthy, some people seemed a little appalled or offended, thinking that I’m skinny, can eat anything that I want, and not have to worry about weight or health issues.
I am considered “underweight” but I look very healthy so people think I’m actually a certain weight. They assume I’m a size zero, which is also not true. I don’t look “anorexic,” but people have assumed I either anorexic or don’t eat much. Sadly, some of my friends, who may be taller or bigger boned, would wish that they were my weight, sometimes starving, thinking that they would look better as my weight, but I disagree. I usually thought many of them were “perfect” normal weight for their height and bone structure and discouraged starvation, as with anorexic too. Whether they were an average weight or “unhealthy” weight, I encourage good health and exercise.
I don’t eat anything and everything just because I seem like I can. Once in awhile, I will totally indulge, especially at events and during the holidays with all the treats. However, I try to control such indulgence. Sometimes when people offer me mounds of stuff that I feel is too much or that I avoid, some may bet a little upset or offended that someone smaller than them is watching their health and say something like, “You don’t have to worry about gaining weight.” This goes with alcohol. But I’m pretty sure, if I indulge all the time, I’ll either gain unhealthy weight or have a heart attack before I gain weight– either way both are terrible. It’s common sense and a given. I think anyone with any weight should watch out for their health.
As people get older, they may develop things like heart burns, high blood pressure and some extra unhealthy weight can lead to diabetes. I know way too many with such health problems. I don’t want to increase such chance, have eaten mainly Asian food when I am at my parents, or eat a generally healthy meal everyday (which can be found in any culture).
When I was exposed to unhealthy food in college at a University, I tried to pick the most healthy food. The problem was that I needed a lot of food for fuel and energy– fast, so I had craving for “bad stuff.” When I was doing crazy amount of martial arts, 4 hours combined per day or every other day, plus walking around campus with a backpack over half my weight, I was eating four really large meals per day plus snacks in between. The “bad stuff” was a lot of chips in between and cheese fries, ice cream, and bacon cheddar potatoes as my 4th meal (after training). Luckily, I was still fit and a bit muscular. I think if I ate that much bad stuff without exercise, it would take a toll on my body and body.
One thing that resulted from the change of food from healthy Asian food to generally not healthy mixture of campus food was my whacked break outs which seemed to have a lasting effect today, and left me with a lot of scars. Perhaps it was just a coincidence that I started to break out in adulthood, but I’m pretty sure my diet contributed to skin issues. When I went home and ate Asian food, my skin would be much clearer and when I came back to school, it would return full force. It happened enough times for it to be concluded not a coincidence. Despite saying diet is an acne myths, my skin seems to improve depending what I consume– I also found that higher quality teas have kept my skin clearer.
So I do care about my health, and lately have been spending 4 hours to shop at groceries because I look at all the ingredients (mainly after watching Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution online). I try to avoid high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and excessive sugar. I want to give the best chance as possible to keep my body running well, recover from any injuries, just like maintaining your vehicle.
Just because I am skinny, doesn’t mean I will eat everything.
