With the stress of classes and being away from home, it’s shockingly easy to gain than 20 pounds in college. Here’s the thing, it’s not all bad but it’s not all good either.
Bad: You have to buy new clothes or squeeze into the old ones.
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That feeling when your jeans don’t fit is probably the worst feeling.
Good: Sweatpants somehow become comfier.
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I swear that sweatpants get better with weight gain. That’s probably why they are so amazing when you bloat.
Bad: Everyone has an opinion when you come home.
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From positive comments like “Wow, you’ve filled out!” to negative ones like “You might wanna start watching what you eat,” they are ALL annoying.
Good: You figure out that BMI is actually BS.
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BMI stands for body mass index, which is a way of measuring your weight in kilograms and dividing it by your squared height. The resulting number determines whether you are underweight, overweight, or obese. My whole life I was underweight until I came home from college and was overweight. The problem was that I was still exercising and I have a relatively healthy diet.
BMI doesn’t take lifestyle or nutritional habits into account and is really not a proper way of measuring health.
Bad: All of a sudden you can’t wear crop tops (or your other favorite clothes) anymore.
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And not because they don’t fit or anything. A lot of body shaming comes with gaining weight, which is really annoying since it’s not like my style changed just because I gained a few pounds.
Good: You gain a new appreciation for your body.
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Your body gets much plushier. As someone who is naturally bony, it is really refreshing to get through the day without constantly stabbing my body with my own bones.
Bad: Your stomach does that folding thing when you sit down.
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If you don’t know what this is then congrats because it’s weird.
Good: You feel extra comfy in giant sweaters during the winter.
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The comfort is unbelievable. You’re also cozier while you eat your favorite winter treats.
Bad: Losing the weight is kind of impossible.
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Like I said before, college is a really busy time. And I can’t always fit a trip to the gym in my schedule.
Good: Everything tastes better when you remember that you’re not dieting.
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Ice cream tastes a thousand times better when you consider that you wouldn’t be able to eat it if you were on a diet.
Bad: There is a crazy amount of pressure to get a “summer body.”
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If my body still exists during the summer then it is a summer body. End of story.
Good: I realized that being fit is more important than being an ideal weight.
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I think I realized this when I wasn’t losing weight even though I stopped having an asthma attack every time I walked up a flight of stairs.
Gaining 20 pounds in college can be a good or a bad experience. But the choice to keep, gain more or lose the weight is up to you. Besides, an extra 20 pounds doesn’t change who you are as a person so flaunt those pounds.