Fat vs thin

I have to confess that during the 'hopeless years', I did just assume that any one thin had an eating disorder. I didn't feel that I overate and could remember enough times of feeling properly hungry to suggest that the natural skinnies simply didn't eat anything and it was the only way that they could remain so.
My journey over the last few years has really changed my attitude. I have lots of friends who are larger, and if I'm honest, only recently, slim new friends who I would have written of as non-eaters in the past.

The big difference is the emotional attitude towards food.  With my bigger friends we would 'feast and famine', so go into town, buy a kilo of Ben's cookies and some how manage to eat the whole lot in one shopping trip.  By the last six or so we didn't even want them, but just considered it better that they were finished.

We ate when we were bored, we ate when we were tired, we treated ourselves when it was raining/snowing/  too hot/ too cold/coffee time/ tea time etc etc, we never really needed a reason.  Food was always for comfort and solace.  And if we had over indulged it even became about punishment.
But we did try to lose weight and were always the first to try the new miracle diet, cabbage soup diet, Cambridge Diet, Atkins etc etc.  And so we were big, but also hungry quite a lot of the time

I have noticed among my slim friends, that admittedly I have met mainly via sport, that they DO eat, and they eat a LOT. But the attitude is so different. They will come to a class because they want to EARN the Chinese/Indian/Pizza meal that they will be eating later.

The approach is so much healthier, they eat because they need NOURISHMENT for optimum physical health and they enjoy to exercise as it entitles them to food as a REWARD for their endeavours.  Therefore there is no such thing as 'bad' food, or food that induces feelings of guilt.

I just wish I could go back to my teenage self and explain this to avoid all those miserable giant years.  But failing that I hope that if even one person reads this and it is helpful, it is worth the post. .... on a lighter note...more clothes tomorrow...