Good afternoon collegiettes! I hope everyone had a great week. Usually I would be excited that it’s finally the weekend, but here at Michigan it’s crunch time – next week is the last week of classes, then finals the week after that. In other words, I have pretty much every hour of every day scheduled from now until next week. Fun, I know.
Today I wanted to use this blog to express a fundamental concept: Your weight does NOT determine your health. I thought this was common sense, considering all those movies and posters about people dying from anorexia or obesity that I feel like most high schools throw at girls these days, but I guess I was wrong. Yes, being dangerously overweight or obese puts you at risk for diabetes, heart disease, and other illnesses, while the same holds true for people dangerously underweight. The thing is, you cannot tell how healthy someone is just by looking at them or estimating how much they weigh.
My definition of ‘healthy,’ besides someone having a genetic predisposition to certain conditions, means someone who exercises regularly and has a diet consisting of mostly nutritious fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and less foods containing fat, carbs, and chemicals you can’t pronounce.
In high school, I remember a really skinny girl who would brag about eating fast food every day, and not gaining a pound. When I told one of my teachers this, she just said “that doesn’t mean she’s healthy.” This could not be truer. Our metabolisms may be fast now, but in a few years having a fast food filled diet will definitely show its detrimental effects on our health.
As for me, I’ve experienced the same problem. A lot of people told me I didn’t need to do the Lose the Freshman 15 program because I wasn’t “fat” and “looked normal,” but my decision to join was based on more than just my weight. Even though my weight may appear average for my height, I knew I was nowhere near healthy. I hardly ever exercised, would eat anything I wanted, and could drink anything on the Starbucks menu without thinking too much about how many calories were in my grande chai latte.
Luckily, with this program and the Drop10 Diet, I have definitely noticed changes in how I view food and exercise. Going to the gym is part of my daily schedule, not something I have to force myself to do. In the dining hall, I instinctually look for the options filled with vegetables, fruits, and protein instead of going straight for the cookies. I’m changing for the better, and I could not be happier. Some people have poked fun at me for blogging, but I’m trying to be healthy, and I am in no way ashamed of it. Don’t forget to follow my journey on Twitter and Instagram! Until next time, Bye guys!
With Love,
-Nicole