I used to be someone who’d look at thin girls and think “Ugh, I hate her! I bet she can eat whatever she wants!” and, I’ll admit, I still get jealous sometimes (who doesn’t!?). Yesterday, though, I learned a good lesson.

I was telling a co-worker about some extra danishes that were left over from a morning meeting and he said “Oh, no, I’m watching my weight. I know you don’t have to worry about that, but I do”. *dramatic pause* Those of you who know my history know how ridiculous that statement is. I wanted to correct him, but he walked away too quickly, so you get to hear it.

Ohhh, mister, you better know that I DO have to worry about and I work hard to stay in shape. The only reason I look the way I do is because I don’t eat danishes, and the like, and I do some sort of workout almost every day. I even tried testing that theory this winter (read: “I stopped working out and ate pretty much what I wanted”) and I easily gained weight. I’ve had to reign it back in to shed those extra pounds and it is a constant battle for me.

So, the next time you get the urge to say something like that to a thin or fit girl, or you get that hateful jealousy that seems to come so naturally to many women, remember that she probably not only works hard for it, but, at the very least, there’s undoubtedly something she still wishes she could change. (The latter half of that may stem from societal pressure, but that’s a topic for another time.)