It's no secret that today's society judges people based on what they look like. One of the first things most people notice about someone is their appearance. We notice their size, dominant features and anything that stands out. This is inevitable, as this is how we form a first impression of someone, but it shouldn't be what they're known for. However, this sets a stigma that people are what they look like and that what's inside simply doesn't matter as much.

This issue has been very prevalent in my life, especially over the past three years. My freshman year of high school, I decided to start a journey to lose 90 pounds that has since then completely changed my life. While this change has mostly been for the better, there are a few downsides to completely changing your appearance. Growing up in a small town in Central Kentucky, most people who know me or know of me know me for my weight loss. "Isn't that the girl who lost 90 pounds," they say whenever my name is brought up, because that's simply the first thing that comes to their mind.

But I'm not writing to talk about how cool I think I am because of what I've accomplished, but instead to share with you that we should be careful not to judge people based on what they look like because people are simply so much more than that. Losing weight did radically change my life, but not because I got "skinnier" and looked "prettier." It changed my life because I developed determination that has pushed me to strive for more than the status quo or the bare minimum. It changed my life because I made friends who went through similar struggles and it helps me relate better to others. It changed my life because my journey has given me a story to tell that has inspired countless others around me.

Weight loss is about so much more than just a number on any scale, and personally, I feel that our society is completely missing the point of living a healthy lifestyle by focusing on this. Weight loss is about the healthy habits developed during one's journey that can help lengthen an individual's lifespan and genuinely improve a person's happiness and wellbeing. Most people make the mistake of focusing so much on just being smaller or leaner that they miss the point of living a healthy lifestyle: to live a longer and happier life.

Yes, I lost 90 pounds my freshman year of high school, but that isn't what makes me who I am. Our world would be a much better place once we begin to look at people for who they truly are inside instead of their numerical relationship with gravity.