Weight :)

Here's a short little post about what I KNOW is your FAVORITE topic, girls :) Let's talk about weight--but don't worry! At the end of this post, you should feel great about your weight :)

Keep in mind, this isn't a health blog (that's why I'm making it a SHORT post). Always talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian for professional health/diet advice, respectively.

It's easy to pick up a scale from the store and say, "Okay, I want to look like a supermodel. I'm going to weigh [pick a random low number]." I've had people tell me they want to weigh 100 pounds. I've heard stories of people who've shot for 90 pounds. Some of us just pick these weight numbers that sound good and go for it (I've done it too. It's easy to do!).

The problem with this approach is that we forget something: our skeletons, muscles, blood, water, needed fat (we need a little to keep working), and organs all have weight. That's right--you have a minimum weight, and you physically can't weigh less than that (unless you're willing to chuck your brain and some muscle out the window to lose a few pounds!). Picking an arbitrary goal that happens to be below your minimum weight will set you up for discouragement.

And let's be serious: anorexia and bolemia aren't cool. Anorexia puts you at risk for malnutrition, and it lowers your metabolism (making it easier to gain weight if you ever change your mind about starving yourself to death). Bolemia has the same problems as anorexia, but with the added risk of heartburn and tooth decay (and a ton of other problems that come with having stomach acid...not in your stomach).

So, how can you lower your weight in a healthy, realistic way?

It sounds cliche, but it's true: eat healthy and exercise.

You see, it's easy to fill up on low-fat high-nutrient snacks like carrots, apples, raisins, etc., instead of eating fatty stuff like chips, ice cream, and candy. You'll feel more satisfied, your body will be happier, and it'll be easier to shed a few pounds (just think of all the fat you skipped when you tossed the chips in the trash and had grapes instead!).

Exercise is great, too. Exercise bumps up your metabolism, which basically means that you can eat more and keep the same weight (cool!) or even loose weight (cooler! :)

And don't forget that being fit and having a little extra muscle weight is always cooler than being super skin-and-bones skinny with no athletic ability whatsoever ;) (not only that, but getting fit really isn't that hard for anybody. We all take PE, right? So everyone's got a good start on it :)

If you're really interested in loosing weight, don't forget to talk to your doctor or registered dietitian--they'll give you plenty of information about good foods, exercise, and more weight-loss tips. :)