When I first started college last semester, I was plagued with the question, "Do you think you'll experience Freshman 15?" For those who do not know, Freshman 15 means that by the end of freshman year you could either gain or lose 15 pounds. In part, this comes from the dining hall food served (predominately fried food, pork, soft drinks and desserts). Another factor is binging on foods (mainly junk), either from stress or depression.
Entering college at 138 pounds, I decided I will not look at a scale for at least my first semester. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the bathrooms at my university do not have scales. This further helped my experiment.
I won't lie, in the beginning, I was dying to see what I weighed. I was eating food I don't normally eat; I was establishing habits I don't usually face. What was going to happen to my body? Would people be able to notice a difference or fluctuation in my weight? However, despite my temptation, I pushed on, determined to not find out what my weight was.
Why, you ask, did I do this? Because, in the long run, I realized it didn't matter what I weighed. So what if I gain or lose 15 pounds? Does that actually matter? To me, it does not. Of course, in high school, that was a different story. I would spend hours pouring over my weight and size. Was I too fat? What could I have done to be skinner? Honestly, I wasted too much time worrying about my weight. I could have valued myself differently had I not known what I weighed.
After my epiphany, my mentality has shifted drastically. I feel good about myself. At this moment, I could not tell you what I weigh. And that makes me unconditionally happy. A number is only a number. Right now, I don't care to know mine.
Also on HuffPost:
