"Pasta Tastes Better Than Skinny Feels"

I came across a meme stating this today. It is not the first time I had seen this image, or variations of it. This time the image was a skinny girl (who was no more than a size 0) eating a plate of pasta.

The first time I saw the meme, I was obese. I was thinking, "Oh hell yeah! Forget being skinny, I can eat anything and everything I want." I remember the inner dialogue well. I still hear that voice often.

For any former fatty, like myself, it does not taste better. It feels MUCH better to be a healthy weight. I also know that I would not stop at that one bowl of pasta. The one bowl of pasta would turn into cookies and many unhealthy decisions, similar to pop. I have quit drinking pop many times over the years. Eventually, I have one and tell myself that one will not kill me. Then the next day I have another, and the day after that I have another. Suddenly, I am drinking one every day and my brain says, "oh you have had a rough day, you can have another today, it will be ok." Before I know it, I am not drinking water and all of my hydration for the day has been pop. This is how I became fat in the first place. Ok, maybe it was a contributing factor. Pop, eating out, and simple carbs all played their own part.

For someone who has never had a weight problem this type of thinking is ok, unless they develop a weight problem from it. As a former fatty, the second I start thinking this way I will balloon to my previous weight. Simple carbohydrates are a slippery slope for me and I know this.  I love sugar, starch, pasta, and bread. BUT I LOVE being healthy MORE. So I will continue to eat my veggies, lean protein, nuts, fruits, and whole grains in moderation.

Back to the meme itself. I wonder who created it. My guess is, it was not that size 0 woman.  I would even venture to guess the person who coined that phrase probably is not a healthy weight. I then think I should make a meme saying something like, being skinny is so much better than pasta. Maybe put a picture of a woman who is slightly overweight and wearing work out clothes eating a big head of broccoli.  Then every time one of my Facebook friends posts an image saying it is better to eat pasta, I could post my image. Sadly, in our current culture people probably would not embrace it. I would probably be called bad words, be accused of fat shaming or something.