This is what people say when you are 15 kilos lighter

In the world of Instagram, cellulite-free legs exist. Or faces without double chins. I'm right in the middle of that Instagram web and have both dimples and chins. There was even a time when Lynn was 15 kilos heavier than now. And that was perfectly fine back then, let's not get that wrong.

But when people start associating me with such a polished Insta-pop, then I have a nice little photo to show. The transformation photo. Torremolinos 2012. There I was posing in my zebra bikini on top of a big rock. And besides the zebra bikini, something else stands out in the photo. ‘A juicy belly,’ as May sweetly called it.

That juicy belly gradually disappeared when I hit puberty. I didn't necessarily have to give up a lot for that. I probably burned more than I ate. Because that's the age-old method by which you lose kilos.

The reactions to my monkey out of the sleeve are worth their weight in gold. The facial expressions are too. Maybe you recognize them if you've also lost a full vacation suitcase worth of body weight. ‘Huh, is this you?’, ‘No, Lynn, this can't be’, ‘What did you do for this?’, ‘Do you want to write a diet book?’, ‘Jesus, what a difference’, ‘That face’, ‘That belly’, ‘I can't believe this’, ‘And now you're so slim’, ‘This is Photoshop’.

Two clothing sizes smaller, that's noticeable, but something also changes inside. Fifteen kilos heavier, I was perfectly happy with myself, but I think no one really wants to be the chubby one in class. I definitely never want to go back to the peak of my weight. Oh well, at least it's proof that there's more behind such a polished Instagram photo. Fifteen kilos more.