Eating Whatever, Whenever...

Right from my childhood I have been a picky eater. So it was not difficult for me to always watch what I eat. Some erroneously think I am watching my weight but no, that is not what I’m doing. For someone who remained a size 10 all my life until Covid19 when I eventually moved up to size 12, I didn’t have to watch any weight. I still do not watch it.

You know, most people complain when they add weight depending on their situation or weight loss goals. Mine called for celebration. My mom was the first person to notice it on video call and she alerted my sisters. They gathered and started cheering for me. Yeah, it was hilarious but I was happy too because I felt curvier and more feminine. Different strokes for different folks, right?

However, I moved into a place some time ago and my landlady was kind of obsessed with my lifestyle; the way I eat, what I eat and when I eat. I found it funny because no one had ever paid so much attention to my eating habits before. It started from the day I moved in. It was a freezing morning in January and I wore a puffy jacket. After moving my stuff, I took off the jacket and came downstairs to talk with her. She said: ‘Wow, you have an amazing shape. Please sit down and tell me what you eat.’ We laughed and I blushed taking it as a compliment.

But she was serious. I had to tell her what I eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner but one thing I didn’t tell her (because she didn’t ask) was that I usually eat a late dinner. I used to eat my dinner around 6 to 7 pm but it all changed when I started a particular job. The earliest I closed from work was 8 to 9 pm and I can’t go to bed hungry. So I started eating late and it became a habit even when I left that job.

My landlady was quite an extrovert. Once she sees it, she is saying it without filters. When she noticed that I ate dinner as late as 10 or 11 pm, she could not believe it. She kept asking why I ate so late. I kept giving her one goofy answer: ‘I eat whatever I like, whenever I want.’ She said that if she ate that late, she would add so much weight that she couldn’t go through the door. We always laughed about it.

My landlady is a nice lady. She was about to turn fifty then and worked hard to lose weight before her birthday. I admired her tenacity and commitment to lose weight on her own without a trainer and she achieved her weight loss goal before her birthday. She also admired how I didn’t add weight despite eating so late every day.

We are all different in a unique way. When it comes to what to eat and drink, I believe that moderation is key. You have to understand your body type and also know what works for you because what works for the other person may not work for you. Healthy living is essential but is a choice and you can achieve whatever you set your mind on as long as you are determined. I believe that everyone is beautiful the way they are. Go out there and live for you but remember to show love and kindness to those you meet along the way.