When I first started going to school, I was underweight. I never really cared about my weight or what people thought of me. College quickly changed that. I started to gain weight and went from a size 2 to 7 in a year. I started to look at myself differently and it really impacted me negatively. I had gone from people telling me that I should eat more to those typical family relative comments about “You really cleaned your plate, hon.” You know the type. My depression came back and hit me hard.  So, I started to work out and joined a sports league. It was just for fun but I wasn’t losing any weight. 

I went to the doctors after trying to eat healthier, dieting, juices and cleanses. His news surprised me. He said “You're actually right where you should be for your height.” He smiled and left the room. I sat there and realized that me being super skinny didn’t equal me being happy. I had a few emotional moments when I realized that I was pretty unhealthy for a long time.

Between always being on the go, missing meals and not sleeping. I wasn’t healthy skinny I was wasting away skinny. Shortly after that, I started to love every curve on my body. In all honesty, I haven’t even stepped on a scale for a few months now because I don’t want a number to define me. I also stopped being hyper-critical about the size of clothes I buy, because I am “me” and not a number. I started to be less envious of others. I now accept my body as something that is always going to change. This is why I wanted to start writing Freshman15.

The movement itself is important because this is something that can affect every body. Body Positivity goes beyond the identifier words that people use to describe themselves, like “skinny”,“fat”, “curvy.” The Movement teaches us to love ourselves for who and what we are. It is important start building people up instead of shaming each other. And this is what I hope to do. 

I strongly urge you to always consider: What makes you feel empowered? What makes you feel strong? What makes you feel healthy? Happiness can come and go but it’s still important to take care of your body. 

I think being part of this movement allows us to contribute to something much bigger. Society is changing. One body type is not consistently pushed as the “societal norm.” We can redefine concepts like the "Freshman 15" together. 

I wanted to write Freshman 15 for students from my perspective. As students, we are always on a time crunch. With that in mind, I will be writing about healthy living on campus - ways to drink more water, recipes for those of us on a budget, and what you should really be using those textbooks for. Through Freshman15 , my goal is to share how to balance health, fun and rest. 

I hope you have an amazing first semester and look forward to seeing what I can learn from you as well. 

Amelia Sher
#freshman15

Read more at www.thessu.ca/freshman15

More from sheridanlife