We all have this part of our body that we just don’t like. For me, that part is my legs… my thighs to be more specific. If you are reading this article, you might also be in that situation.
For years I’ve been on the quest for the famous Thigh Gap. If you are reading this article to get some tips on How to get a Thigh Gap, let me tell you right now that you are waisting your time. I will not explain to you how to reach this goal. The reason why this is not my intention is simple. Every single body on this planet is DIFFERENT. Getting this Thigh Gap might even be impossible for certain persons. Here is the answer on How to have a Thigh Gap: Don’t try to have one. There you go. Easy no?
I know, it’s not that easy. Accepting your body and yourself is a lifetime challenge. Actually, some of us might be fighting with this challenge our whole life.
HERE IS MY STORY…
In 2007, I had just graduated from High School, this period of my life was filled with changes. I was now entering a new school, starting CEGEP, as we call it here in Quebec. It was a new experience for me. New school, new program, no friends yet, a schedule packed as the highway during rush hour, meaning no more time for judo, swimming, or any kind of sports. I was coming home late because of school, which means I would often end up eating things that were handy, such as vending machine’s chocolate bars and fried plantains…So nutritious right???
As you can imagine, my body started changing in a way that I didn’t like. I had stopped all the physical activities I used to do and started eating crap, which obviously led to my body deteriorating. It really wasn’t that bad, specially when I see pictures of me back then. But when all of this was happening, I felt like I was fat, ugly and out of control. In other words, I felt miserable.
One day, something clicked in my mind and that was it. I started eating almost only vegetables. I had stopped eating carbs and sugar completely. I would count all the calories I would eat throughout the day and make sure not to go over 1500. During a whole year, I didn’t touch a piece of cake, a bite of pizza or even a lick of an ice cream cone. I was literally eating salad everyday, with no dressing, no cheese, no avocados, nothing fatty or sweet.
On top of that, I would go to the gym every single day to do cardio. Sometimes I would even go twice! I would go on machines that would show me how many calories I was burning, because I wanted to make sure that I would burn everything I had eaten previously.
It took about 3 months and I had… a Thigh Gap. I went from weighing 132 lbs to 112 lbs. Just to give you an idea, I am 5.8 feet and my healthy weight is far from 112 lbs. My family was getting worried for me. They were making comments on my weight loss all the time. Obviously I was denying all of it. It had become an illness. I was weighing myself everyday, multiple times per day. If you think this is bad, wait for this. At one point, I even stopped having my periods. Meaning my hormones were now entering a stage of artificial and premature menopause.
It’s only 8 months later, when I was about to go take a shower that I realized that all of this was not making any sense. I was getting undressed in the bathroom in front of the mirror. I bent to take off my jeans and I looked at myself in the mirror… I saw my hips sticking out of my skin like horns. This image will stay in head all my life. It’s definitely one of the most terrifying things I have ever seen. Only then I realized that this had to stop A.S.A.P.
ON THE PATH OF HEALING
I consider myself very lucky. This whole story could have turn into a nightmare. I could have ended up in the hospital if I had continued to prevent my body from getting the nutrients it needed. Somehow, something clicked in my mind just in time.
The summer arrived and I started eating bigger portions of food, eating carbs, allowing myself to have some desert once in a while, etc. Slowly, my body started to look more healthy. My periods came back! And most important out of all, I was much more HAPPY. I used to mis out on so much by depriving myself to eat normally.
That same summer, I met an incredible person that changed my life forever. He made me realize that I was beautiful and that I had put myself through all of this horror because of a lack of self-esteem and self-love. This person became my boyfriend, my best friend, my everything. Sometimes, when you see yourself through the eyes of others, you realize that you are much better than you think. I was being so harsh with myself.
MORPHOLOGY 101
What I’ve also learned through this journey, is that we are all very different physically, whether you like it or not 🙈
In my case, I have a long torso, legs that are not short, but not very long either. My hips are very narrow, they are not as wide as my shoulders. I have a tendency to gain body fat in my thighs first, then in my breasts and finally on my stomach. Which means I am more of an endomorph. My metabolism is not very fast, even though I eat very well and train hard at the gym multiple times per week.
All of this to say that even if I wish I had a Thigh Gap, it’s unhealthy for my body. I have narrow hips, so in order to get space between my thighs, I need to loose A LOOOOT of body fat. First from my upper body, then from my legs… It’s just the way my mama made me 💁♀️ Just kidding. Being conscious of all of these details, I became more aware of my morphology and I am slowly learning to love my body. To be completely honest with you, no, it’s not easy. There are some days when I find myself ugly and this and that, but isn’t that normal? Everybody, man included, deal with this struggle. We are all exposed to unrealistic beauty standards that make us doubt about our physique. Let me just tell you something… YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!
MY SECRET TIP TO FEEL BEAUTIFUL
We all have that body part that we don’t like, yes, we talked about it, but we also have that body part that we LOOOVE. Isn’t that right? 🧜♀️ Yassss
So here’s my beauty tip for you. Think of that part of your body that you love, that you find is beautiful, and focus on it. Thank your body for what it allows you to do. Thank your body for allowing you to walk, eat, breath, laugh, love…
Thank your body for being healthy and loyal. Thank it for all those moments of joy you have the chance to live everyday. You’ll see, you will feel much more grateful after doing this little introspection exercise.
Once you learn to trust and love yourself, you remove limitations from your life and from there, everything is possible.
Cheers!