Just because I'm slim doesn't mean I'm healthy. At all.

This morning, I saw a Twitter conversation where a boy had said women over a size 14 were 'void' to him. A fair opinion if you ask me - we're not all forced to like the same features of whichever gender we're attracted to. I personally hate that weird V thing some men have. You know what I mean. The hard line on their abdomen. It makes me cringe. Properly cringe.

Of course, I know plenty of women-folk who'd happily sit there admiring many a toned torso so it's horses for courses.

I think the main thing that bothered me with Twitter Guy was the insinuation that larger ladies (in this case anyone larger regardless of  height, job, diet etc.) are immediately unhealthy because they're not stick thin. True, being morbidly obese is going to have an impact on health. But does carrying a few pounds mean you're automatically doomed to a premature death?

I'm slim. A size 6-8. 5'4". Sure, I have a bit of cellulite - name one woman who doesn't oh you can't too bad - but I'd say I'm generally lean, if slightly on the underweight side. The thing is, I'm not healthy. Far from it. Look at the picture above of me in Thailand for goodness' sake. I'm stuffing my face with the third banana and Nutella pancake of the night.

So, for starters, I'm ridiculously unfit. Gym memberships are wasted on me as I have neither the willpower nor the inclination to spend hours running on a treadmill. The cross trainer hurts my knees and thanks to back problems, the rowing machine does far more damage than good. I've just started a nightly half hour regime consisting of squats, lunges, star jumps, press ups and crunches, and I can honestly say on day 4 I'm still crawling up the stairs. You think I mean that figuratively? Cute.

I often wonder if I ever had to trek through the Andes like those rugby players from Alive if I'd make it. I'm 100% certain I'd give up before the first mountain. I'd be eaten by the strong around day 4.

Also, having a high metabolism means I eat as much junk as I want without putting on much weight. Any extra pounds I do find sticking to my hips (damn my Sicilian heritage) can usually be dealt with by cutting out that junk for a week. Some say lucky. I don't. Because I get the slump. That 3pm cloud of heaviness and slumber that descends like an unwelcome storm in summer. It's more than likely the sugars and processed ingredients of my mac 'n' cheese, but because I know I'm not going to put on weight, I eat that crap daily, caution to the wind.

If I was to compare my diet to that of someone 'voided' by Twitter Guy, I'd say mine would be shocking. It would probably look like this:

Breakfast
Nothing

Lunch (2pm)
Pret sandwich
Crisps
Two chocolate bars
Tea with whole fat milk
Jaffa Cakes
Dolly Mix
Red Bull

Snack (4pm - 7pm)
More Dolly Mix
Jaffa Cakes
Crisp
Wine (glass)

Dinner (9pm)
Pasta, or Thai curry (home made) or pizza (Papa John's)
Ben & Jerry's
Wine (half a bottle)

Snack (before bed)
Tea
Biscuits

Tragic isn't it. Healthy definitely not. But somehow, my diet's acceptable because I'm naturally slim.

So. Not all size 6 women are gym bunnies with Paltrow-esque diets and a love of yoga. Not all size 16 women are slobs, gorging on Bic Macs and sitting in front of the computer all day playing Bingo. Height plays a huge part in dress size - just because someone's in double figures does not mean they are obese. And this is a really prevalent idea that the young and ignorant seem to have. They forget the side effects from malnutrition in order to get that elusive Perfect Body can mean they end up with brittle bones, no periods, thinning hair, and unable to have children. That the models they see in mags are always Photoshopped to remove those wrinkles, lumps and bumps.That the health risks of being underweight are just as serious.

Having a bit of fat on you is normal. It's attractive. And it's kinda necessary for you to, y'know, be alive. True, not everyone thinks plus size is attractive. But just like I shudder at the thought of a man's toned torso and defined abs, not everyone thinks my shape or size is attractive. I get that. It can take time to feel happy with how you look. But the main thing is to be happy in your own skin, to eat a balanced diet, to get a good half hour of exercise a day and to live healthy lifestyle.

After all, sometimes looks can be deceiving.