The Difference Between Being Skinny and Living Healthy

Since I was around eleven years old, I began deliberately starving myself and binge-eating. When the hunger pains became almost unbearable, I would raid my cupboards under the veil of darkness, after everyone had gone to bed. I vied for anything that would make my headache and stomach pains cease. 

In high school I either skipped lunches altogether or opted for a bottle of water and a small bag of chips from the school store. I constantly  attempted to ignore the rumblings in my stomach, which seemed to continually infiltrate my life. 

When my senior year of high school rolled around, I became extremely stressed out with work, applying to universities, and maintaining my 4.0 GPA. I began taking comfort in food and quickly gained 25 pounds, mainly by binge-eating anything and everything. 

During my freshman year of college, I branched out and became the ultimate social butterfly. Part of that was going to the gym with my roommates and friends, completing group workouts together. The pounds I accumulated the previous year quickly shed, and I was in the best shape of my entire life. However, my unhealthy eating habits remained. I typically only ate one meal, dinner, and only drank cups of tea throughout the day, occasionally opting for a bottle of water. 

Suffice to say, I never had a healthy relationship with food. 

After getting more in tune with fitness, I began a healthier regimine and finally began treating my neglected body, attempting to hydrate and nourish the pertinent years of binging and starvation. 

Now, as a 21-year-old senior in college, I can say that I have the healthiest relationship with food I have ever had in my life. I have learned how to properly nourish my body and have grown to love, and take pride in, my hourglass figure. 

Maintaining one’s health is about what goes on in the inside. Just because I have a few extra pounds on my hips and my stomach is bloated from water, does not mean that I am unhealthy or unworthy in any way, shape or form. I am me, and all I can do to keep myself happy, both physically and mentally, is to ‘do me’. I can eat a salad for dinner then indulge in a piece of chocolate cake, or have a cheat day once a week to satisfy my sugar cravings. It is all about moderation, something that took me way too long to incorporate into my life. 

Today, I make it a priority to eat three healthy meals per day. I usually start off with a cup of tea or coffee early in the morning and then have breakfast at 10 a.m. I try to eat all my meals, and snacks, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Continual hydration via water, not sugary sodas or electrolyte-packed energy drinks, is a must and I have made this a priority in my daily routine as well. This routine has allowed me to create a healthy relationship with food and replenish my body from past injurious habits. 

I also try to exercise every week, taking it a little at a time. To be honest, I have bouts where I do not workout and I am currently just now getting back into the gym. The trick is to not kill yourself to burn calories. Do workouts that you genuinely enjoy doing. This could be running a mile, taking a walk, doing yoga, or conducting at-home ab workouts. Just remember to not overdo it and to continually hydrate yourself throughout whichever physical fitness routine you choose. 

The bottom line is, do not let food and weight-loss dictate and consume your life like it did mine for so many years. In order to stay healthy and fully accept yourself for who you are, it is imperative to live the life you love, and in turn, you will love the life you live.