I usually refrain from commenting on posts of this nature, but as someone who has studied human nutrition and physiology for 5 years, I feel as though my opinion is somewhat valid.

I do not blame you for appreciating your thin privilege. There’s a reason why it’s called a “privilege”, as it makes life easier for you. Anyone in ANY body has the right to love themselves. But it’s important to understand the implications of thin privilege, and how it affects you and those around you. Many recent studies in healthcare are finding that the comorbidities attributed to the “obesity epidemic” are stemming from weight stigma and socioeconomic status. So we need to ask ourselves, do we have access to adequate healthcare? Can our families afford fresh produce? Did our parents have gym memberships? Were there parks in our neighborhoods and places to engage in physical activity as children? There are many other cofactors we need to consider when we are fat shaming. Many Americans (or people all over the world) are stricken by poverty and do not have the same resources.

Additionally, you mentioned that people aren’t born fat. That is not a statement supported by statistics, as we are seeing overweight infants born every year (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170712110518.htm). Just as your genetics are responsible for your fast-paced metabolism, metabolic disturbances can also be cause by GENES and illness. I personally have seen unhealthy patients in both smaller and larger bodies. Although weight can be managed, dieting is usually not effective in long term patients (http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/Dieting-Does-Not-Work-UCLA-Researchers-7832). Thus it’s not necessarily appropriate to deem eating less (aka dieting) as the easy answer to obesity. It’s much more complicated that that. How are we supposed to encourage people to be healthy and happy when we are holding them to unrealistic standards? Constant dieting and rigorous exercise is not sustainable for anyone.

And lastly, I want to offer you some compassion. As someone who also wears a size 2 and has been naturally petite my whole life, I have been constantly subjected to societal input as to how small and “cute” I am. Although this fed my ego as a teen, it slowly turned into a subconscious form of body dysmorphia. In college if I ever gained a smidgeon (2–5lbs) of weight, I panicked thinking that no one would love me or find me attractive if my body was not the same. As a nutritionist, I felt pressure to maintain my size because my clients simply wouldn’t trust me if I failed to fit everyone’s ideal of what healthy looks like. This is such a damaging way to think! I don’t know your age or situation, but I want to encourage you to love yourself no matter what body that comes in. Because you’re beautiful, just like every living organism on this planet is. And understanding that your thin privilege may challenge you in ways you wouldn’t expect later down the road is an essential part of this process.

I truly wish you the best and hope we can all realize the weight of our words when we hold discussions about body positivity.