Thursday 13 September 2012

Skinny and Healthy Are Not The Same Thing


Okay, I realize it’s been awhile since my last post. It’s been a crazy few weeks of school, and on top of that, my beautiful Trek mountain bike was stolen from campus!  On a side note, if you see an ad for an orange Trek 3500 series, 18-inch frame online, let me know ASAP!

Back to the topic of being skinny versus healthy. Last weekend my mom and I went on a fabulous shopping trip to Buffalo. Truth to be told, everything IS bigger in America, especially their portion sizes. Looking for healthy options in the mall was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Luckily we stumbled upon the Skinnylicious Menu at the Cheesecake Factory of all places. The salads we ordered were insanely delicious, filling, healthy, but the name of the menu really bothered me. I HATE how skinny=healthy in our society. I could tell the emphasis on their Skinnylicious entrees was all about calorie counting and losing weight, when all my mom and I wanted was a healthy entrée that wouldn’t leave our digestive system in a comatose state.

Enter the term “skinny fat person”, beautifully coined by the wonderful Dr. Mark Hyman. I completely agree that just because you’re skinny, that doesn’t automatically make you healthy. I know lots of skinny people with terrible eating habits, no muscle mass, low energy and numerous health issues (skinny on the outside, metabolically obese on the inside). It’s not about the numbers on the scale, it’s more important to know numbers like your cholesterol, blood pressure, body fat percentage and blood sugar levels. I know lots of “bigger” girls who are strong, fit, happy and in good control over their mental and physical health.

All in all, I think it’s time we stop the emphasis on losing weight, being skinny and calorie counting. I think it’s time to be Healthylicious, and focus more on how you FEEL inside, and not what dress size you wear.


For more information, check out this article-
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/skinny-fat_b_1799797.html



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