I am overweight and I get made fun of sometimes. People stare and I can't help but envy others who are skinny. What do I do?

I love the response that was given to this question. I am a little over weight, and I have endured the name calling and the cruelties of high school kids. I've become very comfortable with my weight and am not obsessed with it anymore. This response has helped alot with the troubles I have had with doubting that God created me for me and that He doesn't want me to change.
God Bless
Breann*~

I think this is a great repsonse to her question also. If I may throw in a little bit about 'skinny' girls...

I'm a thin girl and have managed (through hard work) to keep hold of my figure for the most part (I'm 23 now).

However, you should know that the 'skinny' girls struggle just as much with self consciencious issues as some one who is over weight...they probably just hide it well.

Maybe its not their weight but their breast size or 'ugly' hair or skin issues or ALLLLL the other things this world says we have to have perfected to be 'pretty'.

You know that God created you and knew the struggles you would face before you faced them, so pray and reach out for his peace and for his HELP.

Maybe you will or won't be a size zero with a super model body but you should be a healthy weight for your body type and if you know in your heart you're not healthy then ask God to give you the strength and desire to change that.

You can not do it on your own any more than I can make myself go to the gym and stay a healthy weight with out his help . So ask him to help you and then committ to doing it.

I work out at 'Curves'...you may have heard of it?? No guys, no competition , and its simple and quick (time is of the essence for me).

If a memebership is not for you then just try getting up and out for 30 minutes and walking at least 3 times a week...you'll feel much better and less guilty about sitting and doing nothing active.

DON'T let your current weight or situation keep you from feeling good about yourself!!

If you're already active at this point then just keep your head up and keep relying on God to help define you and your beauty in and through him!

God Bless! Amy~Oklahoma

I know exactly how you feel! I'm overweight and sometimes I hear people calling me "fat". My advice to you (and me) is that we should try and work out. Put on some music and dance. It's fun, and healthy. Also, try and stay clear from foods like potato chips, french fries and candy. I know it's tempting (since even I am a fan of all these foods) but they're just not good for you (or anyone else, for that matter!) And about all the other girls that seem to be "skinny". It could just be their body shape or maybe you're just imagining everyone else is skinny because you have such a poor body image. Read your Bible and pray to God; he'll help you through it all. Bless you, I'll be praying for you!

Hey, I know exactly how every "chunky" girl out there feels i've been big my whole life and I went through a phase where I hated myself i tried everything to loose weight and it never worked, but it wasn't until last month I went to a Christian camp and I broke down in tears because I couldn't handle it anymore I couldn't handle hiding it anymore and I had a good 30 min. conversation w/ my councelor and she told me that God loves me for me, nobody can love me the way God does, every spec of sand you have ever seen and sand you haven't seen represents a good thought of God's about you. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our good and bad, every sin we have commited he knows about yet he still thinks the world of us. Now that is some serious love.
-madi

this advice was most definitely inspiring and extremely true. so ill say it myself that today people demand us to be skinny but the truth is that life is too short to worry on such things. infact the one true thing that matters is what god thinks of you. and believe me no one can love you with his amazingingly beautiful everlasting love!

God made each of us in his image. Our identity is found in him and he is who we stive to glorify with ALL that we do. Including our bodies and our thoughts about our bodies. It is not even about us...all that we do circle right back to him giving him glory. So appreciate his handywork.

I used to be over-weight and I got made fun of. I began losing weight and am now skinny. But, I'm no happier now than I was then. Because even though I was made fun of then it taught me to like who I was because God made me. So let this time be a lesson on character building and never forget how you were treated. I learned to be happy and so can you. No matter how good you look you will always find something wrong with you. So try not to look for things wrong but things that are right!

Thanks so much for that burst of reality. Even though we should all watch our weight for the sake of staying healthy, it's just unrealistic to try and fit in with the world veiw of the "Perfect" Body.

you know they say that guys look at one thing right on their body like muscles and are extremly happy, but girls look at one bad thing on their body and are extremely unhappy. GOD loves us with an unconditional love. he doesnt care about our weight or anything like that. can you imagine GOD saying "you can't come into heaven because you are over weight." no way! and you know the people who bring you down probably feel bad about themselves. When they say mean things say something nice back. Pray for them. they may look perfect but they may be hurting inside.

you don't have to worry about your weight, because God said 'you are fearfully and wonderfully made'Psm139:14. Nobody can be like you and noone has your body shape. Why? cause you are UNIQUE. God look at the inner beauty so try as much as possible to work on your inward man (beauty of the mind) and don't give damn what people say about your weight.learn to thank Him for creating you like that and pray for those that condemn you.

i am a skinny girl to but i am gaining weight. i keep eating and eating and i do not even know why.

it doesn't matter what you look like. All the girls in my class go play with the popular girls. I don't like it . But god loves everyone no matter what they look like.

I love the answer to this question because I am overweight and get teased alot even when I dont know it. I don't like it. It makes me so upset and sad. But God loves me no matter how you look. For God made everyone in his own image.

ill admit im over weight. but i have confidence even if no one else does! my body is no where near a size 2 or even a size 5! but i know i look good! and if someone laughs about it... i learned to just laugh too and laugh at the situation beacuse look... that person has to say something to feel pleasure! i'm a really nice person and being overweight doesnt effect who i am! and u dont have to be skinny to be popualar or to have the popular friends or to have a boyfriend!im a pretty popular girl and im the biggest in my class but i dont beat myself up over it! and u shouldnt either! infact if someone makes fun of you just know theres someone out there you appriciates you!
his name is God!
or maybe he's a guy u like
or maybe shes ur best friend!

it is pretty hard when ur family says something about it but i tell them that i dont care what people think about my body!
its my body not theirs!
i love myself and thats one of gods commandments!

i am a skinny girl, but i can still be so insecure about myself. i will pray for you "Anonymous" that God will help you overcome this eating problem. i know how hard that can be. i just want to say that i agree that we should not obsess about our weight, but also shouldn't be like i am super overweight and it's unhealthy but i'm not going to change because God loves me anyway. we should be healthy, but after that, we shouldn't even bother looking at the scale.

Hey if that was me getting made fun of I would try my best to like who I am and don;t worry about what everybody else thinks...it is only that you are taking it personally and you shouldn't.God made you that way...he loves you!

Lots of times, the reason people might make fun of you, is cause they're insecure. I myself am not overweight, but a few years ago I had anorexia(I never told anybody), trying to starve myself so I could look like all my super skinny friends. Finally, one day I got to the point, where it hurt to eat, and even though I was hungry I couldn't force myself to eat, and at that moment I knew that I would rather be one of the most overwight kids than to feel like that. So I forced myself to eat, and I feel so much better now. Even though It is good to be healthy, remember that in 30 years from now people aren't going to remember you for how skinny you were or anything like that.

I am so proud of us girls these days who are standing strong, let God be your rock! He created flowers, sunrises and set, oceans, pastures, nature, rainbows, and all of these other beautifull things, just to please our eyes. If He did all of this for us, surely as or Heavenly Father, he created us even more so beautifull! We were made by Christ in HIS image! That is so mindblowing, to think we were made in HIS image . That is reason to praise the Lord, so give him credit, and thank him for this!

How could people be so cruel???? If God made us, we all have to be beautiful! I wouldn't consider myself overweight, but I am very self-concious about how I look sometimes. We are all masterpieces...no matter what anyone says. God formed every part of us to be beautiful. God bless all of you girls! Keep standing strong - God is on your side!

Just know, that every girl has insecurities...as much as we try to hide them. Even us "skinny" girls. These insecurities are hard to get rid of. Like a bad habit. I struggled with different insecurities for soooo long. But now, through Christ, I am so comfortable with who I am and what I look like. I even see the pretty smile in the mirror. It's unbelievable what Father God teaches us over time and with lots of prayer. Girls, I encourage you to pray if you are struggling with this or another insecurity. God wants to hear about every little thing. He's your very best friend that you can contact anytime, anywhere and He will listen. I will pray for you all. God bless you and your situation! =)

*Just a Ballerina*

Beauty comes from the confidence within. Even the most beautiful people in the world don't show their beauty if they are not confident. If you love yourself and are confident in your appearance, others will as well. =) God loves you!

trust me i know how it feels like for the pst six years of my life i've been called everything from from a blob of fat to an oversized fool during those times i felt so out of place and i gave into depression but God allowed me to see that i was beautifully and wonderfully made! whatever anyone says you're beautiful i your own light and you don't have to lose weight to be happy, but if yo want to stay fit just exercise more and don't eat too much junk. i'm still a bit big but i love myself now and because of my self confidence people respect me. just learn to be yourself and also love yourself! God bless.

I luv this web site it helps me alot and i love the awnser to this question!~I'm very skinny always has been,always need the slim pants in kids still fit in stuff sence I was 10,very tiny a size 1/2 to be exact,and I care all the time what I eat I am a calorie counter and health nut!,I would and sort of still on that scale 3x a day,I alwys made sure that I never get over the 120 mark,my doc would say i'm underweight and thought I liked that I wanted to be underweght not adverage like all girls!It's the lie from the devil he wants us to think were not worth anything,I was living that lie and sometimes go back to it,I am learning slowly that it doesn't matter what we look like on the out side I've known it but really never believed it and somtime harder then it really is b/c there are some people who put you down and don't think good enought but we are so I am starting to not be concerned as I was!~!So,for all the girls out there who sturggle out there yor beautifully don't matter what any body says your body ain't going to get u to heaven,its your heart don't foget that can't believe I'm saying that now I'm so happy I can now!~!NOw I have to admit somedays I fall in my bad habbits and some dyas fine I'm slowley seeing who I am in christ, the girl god made!~

Remember that your body is temple where God comes to rest. He doesnt look at your outward appearance. He made everything about you and he loves it. No matter what, he knows what youre going through and he has a reason for everything. Find people who dont care about how much you weigh or what you look like. Once you have found them, you know who your true friends are.

I get really mad and envy anyone who looks better than I do. It's mostly anyone. I am over weight but don't look like it and most girls who commment on girls who think there ugly are thin and beautiful. I would like to have help in loving my body because I sure love who I am but not my body. I have thought of diets but I get mad and eat. Lots of my friends are thin and beautiful. There not average girls though there thin but curvy. I have an hourglass figure but would like to have myself thinner. I cry myself to sleeps sometimes and its horrible how I wake up and remember and envy and hate and want to scream and cry. I 've thought if I got surgery I would be fine but I wont. I wouldn't dare do more than diet and excersise. Like i'm searching right now how to lose weight fast. My whole family is thin and beautiful theres about 20 cousins and I'm in the range of younger but 5th fatest so I'm crying out to the lord a lot for weight lost. I was reading one night a christian book on weight lost with God. I got into it but I'm bilingual so I was reading it in spanish but got frustrated cause I couldn't read fast enough. I'm blessed for having God allow people to say I'm pretty and beautiful but I doubt them. I doubt everything someone says about my weight.

I know exactly how you feel! I used to be way over weight. I HATED my body. I would get so frustrated about it. It almost seemed impossible for me to lose weight. But the best way to deal with this is just be happy and content of who you are in Christ. It is not the outside God looks at. It is your inside God really cares about. I finally realized this and started praying about it. I finally am starting to really know who I am in Christ.
Anyway, usually kids at school tease you because they are actually jealous of you and try to bring you down.

Im a skinny girl too and i still constantly pick myself apart. It gos to show that no matter what your size is your usually able to find something you dont like. I had been sick for a long time and lost allot of weight. Im 17 and look more like a 12 year old if we are counting bra sizes,lol. So being skinny isnt all its cracked up to be. In the end no matter what size we are, as long as we like who we are and accept ourselves others will too.

Hey, don't think that you are'nt beautiful the way you are, even though you might be a little overweight. God say's you are gorgeous on the inside, not out. although, your body is your temple and you should still take care of it. I'm not saying that you should starve yourself to look "NORMAL", or whatever. Just be healthy.

And for those who are "staring" at you, don't take that personally because they might not be comfortable with their body either, or atleast parts anyway.

God and your family loves you, so never take that forgranted.

Bye!!!

I used to be a little over weight just last year but eventually i grew trusted god and everything worked out now i am my perfect size and other people have even given me compliments
don't focus on the bad thing focus on the good
let yourself have fun
and never say never <3

I know exactly how some of the people on this page feel. I too, am overweight and it seems like in these times, guys only want to go for the skinny, perfectly-shaped-bodied girls. It can be soooo discouraging sometimes, but when I really get to feeling down, I think about how much God loves me. He put me on this earth to do more than stress sbout my weight and feel sorry for myself. He just wants me to love and serve Him without failing.

I understand! And i have stuggeled with this my whole life. But i have realized something is that God loves me SO much and he made me like he wanted me. I have come to the conclusion, that God wants him to be 1st priority in my life. When I put him first everything else just falls into place. Ive tried dieting but i alwlays gave in. It wasnt until i gave it to God and asked him for his strength was i able to do it. Something that helps me is i have a friend who keeps me accountable for working out and what i eat. If i mess up then i pay her 5 dollars. My goal now is not to be skinny but be healthy.

I'm skinny, like most in my family, and it is not all that it is worked up to be. when I was really skinny, some people would call me beanpole, toothpick, etc... especially since I am tall too! ;) I used to get made fun of because I was tall for my age and skinny (not to mention homeschooled) :) but now I don't; instead of being picked on, I'm told that I look nice, and that they wish that they were like me, because then they would be beautiful. And I try to tell them that being skinny doesn't make you beautiful or a super model.
I don't know if this would be exactly what you are looking for, but I used to wish that I was not as skinny as I was. But then I realized that God had made me this way for a purpose, that I just had to let go and let Him take over and work in my life, instead of me trying to run my own life.
So I hope that this is helpful to everyone out there, whether skinny, or not-so-skinny, just be the person God made you to be.

Everytime I read this, I feel so much better about myself. I'm overweight, and I've always struggled with it.
It used to not bother me that much, but for some reason earlier this year, I started to hate myself. I couldn't believe how "ugly" I thought myself to be, and that I let myself stay this way. I felt like crying everytime I got ready to go somewhere.

The last time I felt like this, me and my family went to the mall, and I saw all the slimmer girls wearing all the cute, brand name stuff, and it made me feel the worst I've ever felt. I just wanted to stop eating, or make myself throw up so I could look like them. Later that day, we saw this huge double rainbow. I felt like it was the Lord's way of showing me that I was beautiful, just the way I was. =]

I consider my body to be on loan from God, like all other things he has given me. It is my responsibility to be a good steward of this temporary body. I have been overweight for several years and I never felt 'bad' about it until I realized that I needed to take care of myself to glory God. Prayer has really given me what I lacked in the will power department. I have lost 50 lb and I have a lot left to go. I try not to care what other people may think, because I know I am beautiful to God all the time, especially when I make the right choices.

dear "crying"

i know tons of people who would do anything to get an hourglass figure!

as for me, im skinny, but sometimes it doesnt seem like im skinny enough. my friends sometimes worry about me cause im always counting calories and dont like to eat fattening foods sometimes. they sometimes think i have an eating disorder, but i dont think i do, im just trying to be healthy. im 5 feet 4 inches tall and about 99 lbs. is that ok? or am i too skinny? sometimes (being completely honest here) i have to force myself to eat. its like a battle to eat something like a corndog. i can see myself obese then i get grossed out. is that normal, or do i really have an eating disorder!?!

Kate - Having been there with friends it does sound like you might be on the verge of an eating disorder. Because people are all built differently, your weight might be fine, it's hard to tell without seeing you, but if you have to force yourself to eat and if food and the thought of food consumes a lot of your day, I would suggest you talk with someone who can help you through this. Can you talk to your mom or another adult who will shoot straight with you and help hold you accountable? Eating disorders are monsters that sneak up on you slowly and try to destroy you, so if you're concerned, this is the perfect time to attack this thing. I'll be praying for you!

love
Jamie

I love the response to this question because every single word is true. To be completely honest with all of you, I am skinny, and people tell me I have "the perfect body." But that doesn't matter. I still feel ugly, but when I feel that way, I remember that God loves me, and he makes no mistakes. And please please please don't worry about guys. If there's a guy who doesn't love you for what you look like then he is definately too shallow, and not the guy for you! God has the perfect guy planned out for you who will love you for who you are, whether you are skinny, or a little bit bigger. Whether you have acne or whatever. God made you perfect, and there will be a guy who will love you and thank God for you. <3 I love you all and I'm praying for you. God bless

Never let yesterday's failure shadow over tomorrows dreams;) in other words: everyone makes a mistake!! If you didn't you would be weird!! I am not over weight but average. I run six miles almost every day at the YMCA gym so I am In very good shape. The hard part is chocolate......

I used to be really self-consciense about my shape. I was really curvy and not even overweight! Then I realized I should be happy with the way God made me, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made! But I also had to take care of my body too! I exercise once everyday, and eat regulary and now I am healthy, still averagely curvy, but VERY VERY content. Thanks for the article, really helped! GOD BLESS :)

Wow, I really love this article!!! I have struggled severely with lack of appreciation for my body. God made me the way I am and I should gladly praise him for creating me the way he wanted to. I shouldn't look in the mirror and frown, but instead praised God and be glad with what I see. I will pray constantly for girls that fail to see God's gift of outer AND inner beauty.

May God bless you all!

Every time I look in the mirror I just want to burst into tears or break the mirror or hide somewhere, I just can't seem to be content with myself! I'm overweight (kinda) my legs' width is HUGE, my hair is stringy and my face is HIDEOUS!

I need somebody to help me through this.

Anybody have some ideas? I could use them SO much.

<3 Uncontent (with myself)