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Lose The Freshman 15: Love The Body You Have

 

Hey guys,

I had a really fun weekend and I’m glad to say that all the doctors say I’m perfectly healthy. I don’t have another weigh in since I wasn’t near a real scale today. I don’t trust electronic scales, mostly because I got on one today and each time I went on, it gave me a different number. I’ll weigh myself for my next blog. I can’t wait to get back on SELF’s Drop10 Diet

I spent a couple of hours with my aunt today. We first went to the doctor together, got healthy lunches, and then went for a walk with her two dogs. The walk was supposed to only be a couple of minutes long but somehow became 30 minutes long. We jogged up some hills and speed walked in some places. I’m hoping tomorrow is nice in Ithaca so that I can go for a run.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I went to two meet-and-greets in the city on Friday. When I was trying on clothes to wear, I chose to try on two skirts that I had bought last summer, back when I was over 180 pounds, almost 20 pounds ago. I was not impressed with what I saw in the mirror.

Instead of seeing a smaller person, I saw the same girl from the summer. I’ll be honest, I almost cried a little. Had all of the work been for nothing? Was I still as big as I was then? The answer is NO. Unfortunately the skirts that I tried on were no longer form fitting. Relief washed over me.

That moment taught me something. We need to work with what we have. It instantly reminded me of an episode of “What Not To Wear” when a former child star wore gym clothes all day long because she didn’t want to buy clothes until she was the size that she wanted. Do NOT think like that! You should always look good! You are a wonderful, beautiful woman! The image in the mirror and the number on that scale does NOT define you.

Losing that extra 10 pounds, losing underarm fat, having a gap between your legs, or a smaller waist won’t actually make you any happier. You’re still the same person at 120 than you are at 180. Nothing changes. You are still an amazing person! My sister is a lot smaller than me and is trying to gain weight. People used to tease her because she was too skinny. I would LOVE to look like her and she wants to look more like me.

You’ll never be absolutely happy with your body, but you can be happy with your fitness level or with your health. Instead of wanting to see those silly numbers go down, I’m going to try being healthier. My new goal isn’t to be 120 pounds. I’m going to a healthier, happier me. I don’t want to have to huff and puff up Libe Slope. I want more energy. I want to live longer. So I’m going to still be going to the gym and still be eating healthy, but for a different reason. Try it with me. Make new reasons why you want to hit the gym more and see if that works better than just wanting to fit into a pair of jeans.

Love ya lots,
Danielle

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pictures are from the amazing Love Your Body Campaign

 

Danielle is a sophomore at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY majoring in Economics. As a lover of all things money, she is a member of the Society of Women in Business, the Cornell Economics Society, and the Cornell Financial Club. She spends her free time figure skating, reading books in Italian, and creating creative ways to procrastinate.