Note that the title is not “how to lose weight”. I dislike the insinuation that everyone should strive to be slimmer than they are. First, a little back story on why I am so opinionated about this:

I started college two years ago. There are always jokes about the “Freshman 15″. I saw many people gain a freshman 15. Some even gained a freshman 50. I didn’t gain anything. In fact, for a good part of the year I weighed less than I did my senior year. Living in the dorms, I ate a lot of pasta and salad. But I didn’t eat much at any one time. Last year marked a lot of changes. My relationship with my first boyfriend was ending, slowly and painfully. My major changed several times. My family was going through an extremely rough patch. My forever friend, Dita, had recently passed away. I didn’t know who I was, what I was doing, where I was going, and who would be with me when I got there. Needless to say, I didn’t often have much of an appetite.

This year, I moved into my own apartment. Life was getting back on track, a bit. Fall, things were still very much in turmoil. I got back together with the ex. I broke up with the ex. I changed my major, again, and for good. I started work at the writing center. I met and started dating one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met: Nick, my boyfriend. I joined and then left a sorority. By winter term, things were much calmer. I finally had a chance to institute all of the dietary things I’d read about for so many years. I did what I’ve always wanted, and started eating closer to the earth. Beans, veggies, rice, other whole grains. I switched to real butter instead of margarine. The result? I gained weight. I went from the 119lbs (ish) I had been for most of the last 5 years to 131lbs. I freaked out. I had squish on my body. I could see fat for once. I hated my own body so much it hurt. Media everywhere (and some people, too…) showed me I needed to slim back down.

And then came an epiphany. If I’m eating healthier than I have my entire life, and still exercising, how is it possible to be an unhealthy weight (with no medical condition)? Keep in mind, I’m 5′9″. 113lbs is still on the low end of healthy. I had just always been underweight. I placed some of my identity on being that tiny, tiny size I was. In my reading, I had come across several times the idea of s “set point”. It had also been taught in my health class required for all freshmen. Basically, the idea is this: everyone has an ideal weight, based upon height, genetics, and several other factors. If you eat well, eat the right amounts, and exercise enough, you will tend toward your set point. This is exactly what I had done.

I decided to do my best to ignore what culture was telling me; it was simply making me feel horrible about myself. I have embraced this new set point weight. More importantly, I’ve stayed here. And I know I’ve made the right choice. I’ve had friends ask me what’s changed. They tell me I look vivacious, or healthier, or stronger. Sure, there are still certain people who make me feel bad about how I look. And sure, I still see ‘new’ exercise routines and want to go overboard. But generally, and most of the time, I’m happy now.

Down to the content:
How to find your healthy weight
1) Eat well
Stop following diets, and fads, and ideas, and whatever else. Forget what you have been taught and rely on common sense. Does it make sense that a highly processed “cookie” that is low-calorie is healthier for you than a big ol bowl of rice and beans? Yes, the cookie is lower calorie. But it is a cookie. If you must have a “system”, look to Michael Pollan. In his wonderful book “in defense of food” he says, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants“. In this case, food means something easily identified as a food. Like cabbage or a potato. Not something you need a brand name or list to describe. Not too much refers to quantity. Mostly plants means that we should eat largely “vegan”. That is, mostly in the grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits portion of the food spectrum. And more the last two than the first.

2) Drink water
For many people, there is a point at which the chemicals the signal thirst and the chemicals the signal hunger are indistinguishable. This tends to be when we first feel thirsty. And guess which one most people assume it is? If you guessed hunger, you’re right. Try drinking a glass of water and waiting to see if you’re hungry. If you’re still hungry about 5 minutes later, then you are actually feeling hunger.

Personally, this is the one I struggle the most with. For some reason, I don’t feel thirst virtually at all until I am very, very thirsty. This means that unless I remember to drink water, I forget to drink at all. I also don’t drink coffee or tea often, and I only drink milk once a day at most. I have several ways I try and cope with this. One, I always have something to drink with meals. Another way is having my boyfriend remind me to have a drink. I also carry a water bottle with me to classes, and I sip water to stay awake throughout my class. This helps a lot.

3) Get out and move
I’m not going to tell you to go to a gym or to exercise. I just want you to get out and move. My personal favorite? Walks. As I’ve mentioned before, I walk a lot. I love walks. Most days I get in at least 4 miles. Many days I get up to 8. I would recommend doing other activities, too. Resistance training (like weight lifting) can be hugely helpful for boosting metabolism. Flexibility is important for preventing injuries and bouncing back from any pulls or strains. Core strength is important for balance and digestive health. And all of these have great exercises for them, and you can find endless information online. But more than anything, it is important to just get out and move.

4) Sleep
Wake up the same time every day. Get more than 8 hours every night. For me, I need more than 9 hours every night. In high school I got a lot less sleep and thought I was fine. But I was also stressed far more, and sick more often. Sleep is, in my opinion, one of the biggest gifts you can give yourself. I’m not sure if there is a direct connection between sleep and a healthy weight. But I do know that all the things needed so that a healthy weight is reached and maintained is easier with a lot of sleep. You won’t feel like cooking or walking if all you want to do is lay down in front of the TV.

5) Stop watching TV
Okay, please don’t yell for this one. Without TV, you’ll find other things to spend your time on. More useful things. And possibly even healthy things. I also think less TV is good for the soul as well as the body, but that is another post entirely.

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This is another post with the possible new focus of this blog. Please give feedback, especially as it pertains to the blog as a whole, in addition to the contents of this post specifically. If you liked this post, please share it with other. I’d appreciate it. Photo credit to kiwiiiiiii at flickr.