by Laurie Miles

Created on: May 22, 2009

I call them pregnant men. They are the ones who look like Santa every day of the week. I think they eat bowling balls, but I'm not sure. I usually picture them eating a dozen donuts in one sitting.

They always wear xx-large shirts and don't tuck them in. Then when they walk, they look like they are about to give birth. I would think this would be very tiring.

I find myself at a loss as to what to say when someone tells me they are fat. Why would they tell me anyway? I am not fat and have been told most of my life that I wouldn't understand those that are.

Imagine you are in a social situation and the fattest man in the room makes a joke at his own expense. This has happened to me on more than one occasion. I don't know if it's because I am a very petite woman (size 2) or I might look sympathetic. I do not starve myself, nor do I diet. I simply watch what I eat, and I have a naturally small frame. I am one of the lucky ones I guess.

That being said, what do you say when someone who is at least 70 pounds overweight looks at you and tells you how fat he is and how would I understand because I am so tiny?

There is just no where to go with that. No where at all. I've got no clever quips for someone who is quite large because he tells me he loves to eat. He says that it gets hard hauling all the extra weight around. This is someone that I don't know very well so my choices are pretty limited. I mean, he's right. He looks like a walking heart attack and moves like a dinosaur. He's also right that compared to him, I am tiny.

It can be really awkward when overweight people make fun of themselves, especially if it's someone you don't know that well. It leaves the person who doesn't look like they just ate a small child almost feeling guilty that they are in good shape and thin.

I am not making fun of fat people. Not really. I am only writing this because this very situation just occurred to me and I had no idea what to say. I just chuckled and said I exercised.

I know I am not the only one this happens to. It leaves you almost nervous at the awkwardness of the moment. I don't want to offend anyone and I'm not the one who began the conversation, so what do I do?

I usually choose to laugh it off and try to be as gracious as possible, given the circumstances.

This is where the party manners your mama taught you come in handy. I am able to fall back on the foundation of those lessons whenever necessary and on some days I need them more than others.

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