I was 14 years old when I stopped swimming. I was 14 years old when I began, in the eyes of my father, to gain some weight. I used to enjoy some snacks for my own pleasure.

I was 14 years old when my father said I was fat.

I wasn't.

But he did say that.

Those aren't some words that a teenager should hear at 14 years old. But I did hear them. And that hurt me.

I stopped swimming because of my trainer. I couldn't really find anything else to fill that empty space in me that needed sports.

I tried tennis, but it does cost money, and that was expensive for only one training session a week.

So, I couldn't get the sport I needed. I was gaining weight.

My father said I was gaining weight.

He said I was fat.

I did hear those words when he said them.

You know, when I was 14 years old, I didn't really have the mental capacity to say what I wanted. I've always had strict parents.

No party, no going out with friends, no games; only working hard to get good grades.

My father said I was fat.

I was 14 years old.

As a teenager in 2023, I've got a lot on my mind. I've got the pressure from school, but also from my family, from my friends that I don't want to lose, and from my daily life. I was struggling to get my mind in the right place.

But my father said I was fat.

And one day, I woke up, watched myself in the mirror, and

And I saw myself.

I was fat.

Or my eyes were telling me I was fat.

But I wasn't.

My father said I was fat.

I started skipping meals.

I couldn't skip breakfast or dinner because it was with the family.

But every time I could skip the meal at school, I did it.

I started with 1 time a week, then 2 and 3, and ended with 4 times a week.

I was fat.

But I wasn't.

I was 15 years old when it became a habit to skip meals at school.

But I was fat.

My father said I was fat, but I was fat.

I began to eat less during evening meals. I was eating just what I needed.

But I was fat.

At school, I was looking at those girls. They looked perfect. They were a bit tall but not too much, had great hair, great styles, a great smile, and a lot of friends.

You know those girls too.

And next to them, I was fat.

Your body needs a lot of things. He needs it.

But I was fat.

I continued to skip meals, and I began to practice a bit of sport at home.

I was trying to focus at school but couldn't.

I wasn't eating enough, my sleep wasn't good enough, and my grades weren't good enough.

My mind was going blank during some tests.

Because I wasn't eating what I needed.

But I was fat.

During gym lessons, I couldn't get the score I usually could've easily gotten when I was swimming.

My body was screaming to eat more.

But my mind couldn't afford it.

My body wanted to eat.

But I was fat.

And one day, I went on the scale. I smiled. I've lost 3kg in a month! Because I wasn't eating, I was losing weight. I was losing muscles. I was losing my body.

I was 16 years old when I was eating with a friend at lunchtime. I was only eating a snack. He was a friend who had known me for many years.

He looked at me and asked why I ate so little.

I said I wasn't hungry.

He knows that I was someone who used to eat a lot.

So, he said that if I was eating that little, it was because I wanted to lose weight somewhere.

He was right.

So I told him that I saw my legs as fat.

He looked at me with those eyes, asking what the hell I just said.

I looked at him with my eyes, saying that I was serious about it.

He told me that I was crazy about wanting to lose some weight.

He told me I didn't need to lose some weight.

He told me I was not fat.

He told me I was looking good.

He told me I shouldn't see myself as fat.

He told me to love myself.

He told me to love my body.

I wasn't fat.

My father said I was fat, but I wasn't.

Hearing him say I was fat so many times made me think I was fat. My eyes told me I was fat when I wasn't even fat.

I was lucky to have a friend who opened my eyes and showed me the truth.

I was nearing 17 years old when I woke up, looked at myself in the mirror, and told myself that I wasn't fat.

I didn't change my mind so fast; I had to work on myself to see who I really was.

Feel safe in whatever body you are in. Because you are not fat.

You are you.

We are not fat.

We are us, and we are proud to be so.