Dooley Noted: 4/27/2015
I am 36 years old.
It took me almost 30 years to appreciate the body I was gifted.
In my youth, I was heckled for having large thighs. A few boys nicknamed me, “Thunderthighs.”
In middle school, I remember playing four sports, then running extra on the weekends in attempts to “run off” my thighs.
It didn’t work.
In my high school community, I was not considered beautiful by most.
I thought I looked just fine.
I had boyfriends.
But my shape and look were not the societal norm for attractive at that time.
In college, my shape and look prevented me from consideration for leading roles – and even snagging men I was eyeing.
At 19, I became quite distraught.
So, I started starving myself.
I would work out three hours a day and pop diet pills.
I started making myself throw up.
I weighed around 120 pounds.
Sounds like a normal weight, right?
I had bones sticking out of my chest.
My bra cup size was barely an A.
My face was gaunt and I had no energy.
And my pants size was still a size 6.
I was sick – and my thighs weren’t going anywhere.
So, I tried everything I could to hide my thighs.
I wore only black pants, and I avoided white pants like the plague.
I used to stare at my thighs for hours in a bathtub, praying they would disappear.
I took every “toning” class known to man.
I ran race after race, hoping that running would lean them out.
The thighs just wouldn’t leave.
As I got healthy, I returned to a healthy, sustainable weight for my type of body.
Now, I eat enough calories to support my activities. This keeps my weight moderate, and I don’t have to count anymore. It’s habit, and it’s the right amount of fuel for me.
I lift weights 4-5 days a week, because it makes me strong and sets my metabolism.
I do cardio in 15-20 minute bouts a few times per week – because it feels great.
I don’t obsess over food and have a very healthy relationship with it.
My blood work and blood pressure are perfect, and I sleep 7 solid hours per night.
I walk a minimum 5 miles a day with a high energy, New York lifestyle.
Most moments, I feel on top of the world, working jobs that fill me with passion and purpose.
My energy is through the roof, and my focus has never been better.
I love my lifestyle.
Most importantly, I don’t look in the mirror, picking myself apart like I did in my teens and twenties.
My thighs are still there, just as they were when I was at my sickest.
At age 28, I learned to embrace my Thunderthighs and wear white.
It took no secret diet nor workout regimen.
I have my anatomy students to thank.
When they get to lower extremity dissection, they complain if assigned a body with thin thighs.
They say things like the following:
“Oh man, I can’t see anything.”
“This poor person must have lost all their strength.”
“I can’t tell the difference between these structures. They’re too small.”
When a body has large thighs, the students are grateful and say things like the following:
“Whoa, he must have been super strong, even towards the end!”
“These muscles are amazing!”
“Wow, look at the size of her quads!”
At age 28, my students inspired me to look at myself in life as they saw cadavers after death.
So, I bought some white workout pants to remind me that Thunderthighs have strong, beautiful, capable anatomy.
These thighs help me remain flexible.
These thighs help me pistol squat and one arm push-up my weight from low depths.
And, they help me remember that fitness and beauty come in all shapes and sizes.
You can curse your Thunderthighed fate, succumbing to every fad diet and workout that promises thin thighs.
Or, you can show off their strength and power, wearing every color of the rainbow, while demonstrating every skill you can master.
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley
