This Poor Mans Diet...

   Time and time again people comment at my size and weight. Usually the comments come in the form of either mockery or in a way to make me feel inferior to the larger person spitting the insult. The comment is not always meant as an insult but either way it makes me step back and feel pretty bad about the size I am and have been for the past 10 years. I am 5'and 5", weighing in at 120 pounds. This may sound ideal to most but for someone like me, it's not where I am comfortable being. Have I accepted this size? Yes, of course, I have no choice. I'm Hispanic with a high metabolism. I eat to gain weight and it vanishes overnight. I can only work out so much before I start to burn more weight. Not what I like especially since I work in a field where I deal with macho type personas that try to show dominance by size. Just like in the animal world where a larger male will show dominance over a smaller male. Larger guys don't scare me but they like to think it does.  

There are a lot of guys and girls that would say that they want to be my size but the truth is, it's not that great. The secret to my "successful" body image is a simple one that many of us young working class people can relate to. I call it " The Poor Mans Diet". 

The Poor Mans Diet is just as it sounds, I make enough money for me and my family to get by but after the necessities are taken care of, there's not much left. There's still some money for a fun activity here of there but to be able to live without worry is not in my cards. We don't splurge on nights out or fancy dinners. We will order take out on a bi weekly occasion. We can't really afford to keep the house stocked with goodies like cupcakes, ice cream, chips or other sinful treats that you find in most of your friends cabinets. The food that we do eat is mostly vegetarian due to the high cost of meat and our snacks are usually homemade like plantain chips or chocolate chip cookies. We don't keep soda in our fridge and have to cook pretty much every snack that we want to eat. 

By calling this the Poor Mans Diet I'm not demeaning or mocking the idea of not having enough food to eat. Me and my wife have had our financial highs and lows including a low that included going on assistance to make sure we had enough food for our daughter and ourselves. Not an easy pill to swallow when you realize that's your only option. But we did it and we did we only kept enough food in our home for a week at a time with meals planned and no splurging on treats and snacks. It's the Poor Mans Diet because I don't have the luxury of going to get a. Urged or a burrito whenever I like due to our financial situation. It really sucks because I love tacos and those are cheap but I gotta be smart with our money just in case some out worldish force wants to put us on check. 

For anyone else out there that may read this and be in the same boat as me try this next time an alpha male douchebg heckles you for being a smaller size. Let them know that the reason you're not as large is due to the circumstance that you need to remain a financially responsible adult and can't afford to shove burgers and beers on a daily basis like they clearly do. I myself go into work every day with a packed lunch packed with enough food so I don't crash and when work is done, I rush home to spend time with my family unlike most that stop at the bar when the workday is through. Try that and I would hope to bet that there would be an understanding on the other end, most likely not, people suck. 

The Poor Mans Diet, a wonderful way to look at your desired physical build in an open and realistic, no gimmicks way.