I don't know how this has gotten 100+ views and nary a comment, it's a great post! We all need to learn to either be comfortable in our own skin or do something about it until we are. I am a mother, of 3, and that has caused a bit of pudge that wasn't there before. But you know what? I am OK with that. My youngest is only 6 months old and I know the weight will come off eventually. I will never be rail thin, I'm not built like that. But I will be happy with a size 9. I promise.

A.A.

I used to be a size 8 or 10. I was very happy then. I thought I was pretty hot, and I never had any trouble attracting men.

 Over the years, I've concentrated on eating healthier. Gave up most packaged food, fast food, and pop. Gave up is not really the right way to put it. I fully enjoy the way we eat. But now it would take truck loads of food to consume the same amount of calories that I used to. And I eat A LOT.

I'm a size 2. Very skinny. Plus, I'm really active. But I can't stomach going back to the garbage foods to put on weight.

Being rail thin is not all it's cracked up to be.

Carole

Since there is no diet in the world that would make my 5'4" body any taller, the whole tall and thin look was never an option for me. And the fake-it with high heels didn't work since I find them incredibly uncomfortable. Life circumstances make me consider the thin as just another social group that I will not be able to join.

Yesterday I was watching Rosie O'Donnell and thinking, "gee, she looks good, except why doesn't she sit further back in the seat?" Which I guess shows that I have reached acceptance of all body types as the norm. Could people now stop putting pictures of Nicole Kidman everywhere!

Laura, www.RebelliousThoughtsofaWoman.com

I've always been in the 'short and cute' bucket, rather than 'thin and elegant'.  Which is fine.  But every kilo I gain shows twice as much, because there's no where to spread it around!

These days, I'm much more focussed on what my body can do, instead of what it looks like.  At 30 I'll never have the body I had when I was 18 - when I thought I was fat.  But I'm much stronger than my 18 year old self, and I bet I'm fitter, too.

I love your closer:

I'm not going to be teeny. I will not be the girl who appears to be challenged by every breeze that blows through. My body will be strong and curvy and ornamented by various medical devices, like a diabetic Christmas tree. It's taken me a long time to achieve a level of confidence in how I look and how I feel about myself. But I see myself now and realize that I don't look much different than I did in high school or in college. I just feel different. I feel like the numbers that matter aren't the ones on the scale or sewn into the tag on my skirt, but instead the ones stored in my glucose meter.

I feel happy, and that looks better on me than any stitch of clothing I own.

Since I had an opportunity to meet you at BlogHer Boston and watch your confidence in action, I find myself wishing that you would videotape this essay, Sixuntilme. There are *so* *many* women who need to hear this message, whether they have diabetes or not, whether they are twentysomething or sixtysomething. This is terrific!

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette

BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News.

If only there was an easy way to learn to love yourself for who you are.  Contrary to what many people think being super skinny won't grant them huge amounts of happiness and confidence(some people maybe)  but most people will need to look deeper to realize that their self worth is about more than a number on the scale.   

pilateshottie.blogspot.com

Awesome post.  I love reading it.  I was always "bigger" than the other girls I lived with, no matter what size I was.  It was annoying only in the sense that they would ask me how I could be confident and look like I did EATING AS I DID.  That sucked.  They were referring to BREAKFAST daily, which consisted of an apple, some plain oatmeal with a tiny bit of honey and milk, an egg, and a cup of hot tea.  Wow.  I was sure glutting myself on breakfast.  But if I didn't eat breakfast I felt sick all day.  But they thought I was really pigging out. 

 I don't eat candy, hate the taste of soda, don't drink alcohol, avoid packaged foods, dont' eat much sugar (makes me feel sick to my stomach), don't drink sugary drinks at all, don't eat processed foods.... and I wear a size 10/12 and am 5 foot 10.  I used to take modern dance, do aerobics, lift weights, and take pilates six days a week.  I drank 8 glasses of water a day.  I slept a normal amount.  I took walks and enjoyed hiking.  I practiced portion control and didn't overeat or eat junk.  I ate fruits, vegetables, fiber, etc.  I was a size 10/12 then, too.  I exercised a lot, balanced it out well, and I was the size I am.  I think I'm intended to be this size, give or take five pounds, as I'm not taking dance and doing all of that now.  But I still stayed the same size on top and bottom.  

I used to feel soooooo ugly.  Especially with other girls and their remarks that bothered me.  But they were insecure.  I understand that now, a few years later.  I hope they aren't.  And I hope they value themselves more today, to eat breakfast, take care of themselves, and feel secure as women.  No matter what size they are designed to be.  :)  Because all sizes are beautiful.  

Your picture is lovely.  Your writing is beautiful.  The phrase "diabetic Christmas tree" totally won me over, as did your last sentence.  I loved the spirit behind your post. . . often I am hesitant to read posts about body image and numbers and weight. . . but I loved your blog.  Thanks for sharing.  I wish you a happy and healthy New Year :)

I was skinny once recently. This miracle happened for the 12 weeks after I was hospitalized with an ecoli 157 infection that shut down my kidneys and ruptured my gall bladder. For four months afterward, I couldn't eat much more than plain pasta, white bread, and water. Anything else and I would be doubled over with cramps as my body got used to digesting food without all that stuff the gall bladder does. Don't get me started on what BROCCOLI felt like.

Despite the misery, I looked FABULOUS! I lost 30 pounds and got into a size 6. But I was silly enough to believe that, once I actually started eating again, I would stay that way. My Scots blood, all big bones and curvy women, got the best of me, and within two months I was back up to a size 10, with 15 of the 30 pounds back on my frame. I'm 5-9, so no one really noticed unless they saw me naked. Now, thanks to lovely hormone-based contraception, I'm a size 12.

I, too, am never going to be teeny. For god's sake, I wore a size 2 in 7th grade. But my fiance likes me curvy, and sometimes, I do too.

Here's to health!

Lynn, http://humanbeingblog.wordpress.com