Inside of every overweight person lives a skinny version of her or him. I don’t care how overweight you may be, your skinny self is in there. Many overweight people are trying to kill their skinny selves, they don’t know they’re doing it, but they are.

The skinny person inside doesn’t want to die. He or she is trying to stay alive and you can help your skinny self not just survive, but thrive!

I say “skinny” but that’s more of a subjective description when compared to your current overweight condition.

We don’t really want to be skinny, we want to be healthy and fit. Please don’t take the word skinny literally (even though too many people using literally incorrectly to mean figuratively, have caused literally to have a new meaning in the dictionary that basically renders the word meaningless.)

Okay, so now that I have the whole Inner Skinny Girl or Guy title explained, here’s how you can keep your fit, healthy inner person alive and allow him or her to be living on the outside as well as the inside!

The following suggestions apply to both inner skinny men and women and I will switch the use of the pronouns for variety, not exclusivity.

Let her talk! When your inner skinny girl says, “Please stop eating now. You’re going to kill me if you take another bite!” don’t try to shut her up by taking another bite.

Listen to him! When your inner skinny man says, “You’re kidding me, right? You’re really going to get in your car to drive less than a 1/4 mile?” think about it, he’s got a good point. Why not just walk?

Feed her good food. Your inner skinny girl like pizza and wings and cookies and chips and enjoys eating them from time to time. She’s also craving more fruit, more vegetables, good sources of lean protein, legumes, and whole grains. She would thrive if these foods became the foundation of her daily meals and snacks. She would love to experiment with recipes and spices and delicious ways to make eating more of an event than just something she does without much thought.

Help him stay strong by giving your skinny guy regular physical activity. He is not the couch potato you think he is. He likes to move and he enjoys getting some physical activity in the forms of work and play. Let him do more yard work, detail the car, play outside with the kids and the dog, take the kids and dogs on hikes, join a Zumba group or an adult basketball club. He wants to take lessons to improve his tennis game or become a better skier. Let him stretch and tone his muscles and burn calories with all forms of fun, aerobic exercise.

Stop giving her negative messages. Don’t kill your skinny girl by telling her you self-diagnosed yourself with a slow metabolism, or a glandular disorder that keeps you overweight. Don’t tell your skinny girl you’re addicted to food. Don’t tell your skinny girl you don’t have time or you’re too tired to exercise. Your skinny girl knows you say these things because you don’t want to change, not because they’re true. Let your relationship become one of mutual support. You keep your talk positive and she’ll support your positive behaviors! A real win-win!

Care for the skinny guy or girl inside you. The better care he or she receives, and the more you value that inner skinny self, the more he or she can express himself or herself on your outer you!