Since I was little, I've had some extra meat on my bones; it runs in the family. I have the stomach flab and butt to boot, which again, runs in my family. Sometimes I have a double chin going on, other times not. My thighs rub together all year round, my boobs sweat, and I have stretch marks. I instinctively suck my stomach in during pictures, even if I'm in the back row.

Sure, it would be more convenient if I didn't have to fix my shorts every time I take a step or risk serious chafing if I don't use powder, but it never stopped me from being me. It never stopped me from excelling at basketball. Sure, when I was younger, it took me longer to get up the court, but by the time I started playing AAU, I could chase down the other team's point guard on a fast break. It never stopped me from making friends. I just couldn't share clothes with them, but that never really bothered me.

But most importantly, being overweight never stopped me from being happy.

Yes, I'm aware that I wore/wear bigger sized clothing than my classmates and needed to sit in specific desks in junior high, otherwise I'd be suffocated for the hour-long class. I heard the whispers in the locker room before track practice about me needing a bigger uniform. I heard the comments about me having a butt, but there's nothing I can do about my genetics. Jokes on them, I got a new uniform that hadn't been worn by 50 people before me.

But I also remember the people fighting over me when we played kickball at recess because I could kick the ball from the blacktop to the soccer field 60+ yards away. I was one of maybe ten girls allowed to play with the boys.

My point is, I've looked like this my whole life and I've made everything work. I beat cancer, finished high school, got accepted into 7+ schools, am attending one of the best liberal arts schools in the school and will be going to Cyprus in the fall, all in this body.

I've accepted that I will never have the perfect figure and I'll always stand to lose some weight, but that's fine with me because as I told my little sister the other day, "A beach body is just someone with a body at the beach."