How To Keep One's Figure.

I just got an e-mail from a reader, asking me to write a post on the subject "how to keep one's figure".

Your wish is my command.

1. Eat.

Two reasons. If you try to lose weight by skipping meals, your body will panic, thinking it's going to starve. That means that when you - tired, nauseous and terribly slow-witted - finally eat again, your body will transform what you eat into fat and store it so it has a back-up for the next time you're silly enough to skip a meal. This will definitely not help you keep your figure. Oh, and the other reason? If you skip enough meals, you'll die. And we don't want that, do we? At least I don't. And I hope from the bottom of my heart that you don't either.

2. Eat - again.

The very best thing you can do is to eat food that you like, regularly throughout the day, to keep your metabolism active. I'm going to say it again: Don't. Skip. Meals.

3. Be nice to your body.

Eat things that gives you energy and makes you feel good. Of course you can eat candy, cupcakes, icecream and other delicious sweets - just not all the time. Too much sugar makes us dizzy and tired and stimulates the parts of our brain that makes us crave more and more and more. Then, if we don't eat more sugar, we start to feel irritated and get trouble focusing. But you probably already know all this. Anyway, if you feel guilty from eating too much unhealthy sweets or fast food - seriously, just drop it! Who cares? There are so many other things you could feel guilty about instead. Like... not telling your parents that you love them as often as you should. Or something.

4. Take a walk (or whatever).

I don't mean "walk really fast for three hours a day". I mean, take a walk now and then. Or go for a run. Or play basketball, have sex, take the bike out, go swimming. Do something that you think is fun and that reminds you that your body is awesome and can do all sorts of cool stuff.

5. Stop comparing yourself to other people.

The perfect body doesn't exist. What you see in magazines is fake. What you see in fashion blogs is what the bloggers choose to display. You have a friend who happens to have the perfect body? Umm... does she think so? Really? I didn't think so. The grass is always greener and you know it. Which brings us to number six:

6. Be grateful for the body you've got.

I know this is easier said than done, but please, give it a try. A real try. You can spend your life worrying about your hips, your thighs, your stomach, your nose, your knees, your calves, your butt, your toes or whatever it is you wish you could change. Or you could do everything in your power to be grateful for the fact that you're healthy. That you're blessed with a body and mind that provide you the opportunity to live a long, full and happy life. How this helps you to "keep your figure"? I promise that the more you appreciate your body, the less you will care if you lose or gain a few pounds as time passes. So maybe it doesn't exactly help you to keep your figure, but it does give you a better life.

One more thing. Having an eating disorder equals living in hell. Eating should be something you do because it tastes good and because it gives your body the energy it needs, it should definitely not be something that's connected to guilt, shame or angst. If you think way too much about your weight and feel like it's starting to take over your life, please talk to someone. Get help. The sooner, the better. If you're worried about a friend - do everything you can to help her. And also, remember that you're wonderful. Remember that you're so much more than your dress size, so much more than what you wear, so much more than what you see when you look in the mirror. I don't care if it sounds lame. Just remember it.