I Always Felt Like the "Bigger" Friend..

I grew up in sports: hockey, softball, soccer. You name it, I played it. I was the “tomboy,” the one always running, climbing, playing, or scrapping on the ice. Always moving, always active.

But what I didn’t do was “work out.” I didn’t lift weights, I didn’t train with intention, and I didn’t even really think about exercise outside of practice and games.

And no matter how active I was, I always felt like the “bigger” friend. All of my friends were size 0 or 2. I was a 4 or 6, and back then that difference felt huge. I’d suck in my stomach for every picture and feel embarrassed going shopping with them.

I leaned into my athleticism because it gave me something to be proud of, but I was always comparing myself to the girls around me. Because of that, I never felt confident in my body or in my looks.

That quiet dysmorphia shaped the way I approached health for years. It didn’t matter what the mirror or the scale said. What I saw never matched what was real.

Those thoughts eventually carried into high school, where I’d try my first “diet,” and where my health would take a turn.

So many of us grew up active, capable, and strong, and still carried the weight of feeling “too big.” Looking back now, I wish I would’ve been nicer to myself. I wasn’t “big.” I was strong. Athletic. Capable.

If you’ve ever felt like the “bigger friend,” this is your reminder: your size does not define your worth. It never did.

Coach Liz

Little me.