- Leah Barrett
My Pants are TOO Tight and Why I’m SO Happy About It.
Cue the Jimmy Fallon Tonight Show clip (check it out on youtube). Ok, I’m not referencing Jimmy Fallon’s hilarious skit. But I am dancing around in my tight pants. Why? I have achieved my goal of not being thin. Come again? Yes, you read me right. Ever since going through treatment for cancer and getting scary skinny, I never want to be thin again. As I sit here typing I can feel my belly roll of fat oozing over my waistband. And, while slightly uncomfortable, I am reminded that I AM HEALTHY! We live in a thin-obsessive culture and it has gone beyond being rational. Don’t you find it a bit ironic that our nation has rising rates of obesity while being bombarded with the growing lists of foods we should avoid and diets we must try? And, did you know that a much underreported study suggests that people who are overweight (but not obese) may live longer than people with clinically normal body weight? (here’s the link).
While I typically shy away from conspiracy theories, I can’t help but think that the multibillion dollar diet industry and the multibillion dollar pharmaceutical industry have everything to gain by convincing us that being overweight is BAD. Don’t fret. They have just the solution for us. This is why we don’t hear about those study findings. The results may put a dent in their bottom line.
Here’s what I am going to do with my tight pants. As soon as I get home tonight, I am going to peel them off and put them in the ever growing “to be donated” pile. Then, I’m going to eat dinner, drink a glass of wine and have chocolate for dessert! I have some more weight to gain. Cheers! Here’s to our health, a little extra fat and tight pants!