I couldn’t help but roll my eyes whenever I saw the “how to lose the freshman 15” posters RA’s used to hang up in the dorms freshman year. There was this odd idea that weight gain was the worst thing that could happen to you in college. For most of my life, I thought the only way people would see me as healthy is if I was constantly trying to lose weight. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized just how tiring, damaging and unnecessary that mentality is. I’ve gained weight since my freshman year but I don’t see it as a negative. Here are my top four reasons weight gain is a positive and not a negative.
1. You might be gaining muscle
A couple months ago I started eating healthier and working out and I noticed that I was toning up but I was also gaining weight. I shortly realized I was gaining muscle and losing fat but on the scale, I would never be able to know that.
2. You get energy boosts!
Growing up, I always felt tired and groggy whenever I was on weird diets trying to lose weight. After eating healthy and gaining weight, I have more energy to go out and do things, I feel more like myself again, and I can spend more time with the people I love.
3. Boobs
I’ve never had boobs or curves, even at my heaviest weight, all of my weight went to my thighs and my stomach. After gaining weight from eating healthy, I finally have boobs and curves and I can wear clothes that make me feel confident and sexy.
4. Self Care
There’s this weird idea that the only way you can get healthy is by losing weight but that isn’t necessarily true, just like the notion that you can’t be healthy at a bigger size. Sometimes, your body needs a little love and adding more foods to your diet your body the love it needs.