We live in a world that idolizes beauty and tells us that in order to be beautiful, you have to be thin. The media will have us believe that when you’re thin, you are automatically happy. We’re told that when you lose weight, all your problems go away, but that is completely false.

I have learned from experience that you will be just as insecure and unhappy as a size two as you are as a size 12, if you don't learn to love yourself first. I used to believe the notion that I would be happier if I was skinny, but after changing my lifestyle and finally become the idolized size two, I realized that the happiness actually comes from within. In the past, I have tried restrictive diets with the sole purpose of weight loss, but a healthy lifestyle is about so much more than just fitting into a certain pant size. To live a truly healthy, happy lifestyle, you have to take your mental health into consideration by practicing self-love and acceptance.

Throughout my life, I have constantly struggled with my body image. I was always trying new diets, losing and gaining weight. After going to college and gaining the freshman 15, I knew I had to change my lifestyle. I decided that I was done with fad diets and trying to restrict myself. Instead of just going on a diet to lose weight, I was going to start living a healthier, positive lifestyle. I fell in love with working out, and I started eating foods that would nourish my body, not starve it. Instead of making weight loss my main goal, I focused on health and wellness, I also started learning how to accept myself as I am.

A year later, I am around 40 pounds lighter and a whole lot healthier. I am happier and more confident now than I was then, but I know that this is not because I lost weight. I do still struggle with body image and confidence at times, but I have been learning to accept my flaws and love myself. I now realize that there will always be something about myself that I can point out and call a flaw, but instead of focusing on my faults, I’m trying to have a more positive outlook. If you do not accept yourself as you are, you will never truly be happy, you will always be finding things that you want to fix about yourself.

When I started really working out, I was amazed when I saw what my body could accomplish. I went from not being able to run for five minutes straight, to running five to 10 miles a day and winning first place in my borough’s 5K, in just a few short months. Instead of looking at my legs as too muscular, I look at them and see how far they can run. So instead of looking at your body as fat or imperfect, look at it and see the amazing feats it can accomplish.

Once you start to love your body, you will start treating it with respect, by choosing to eat healthy, nourishing foods and working out. If you eat nutritious foods instead of junk food or restricting yourself, your body will start to look the way it is supposed to. If you treat your body with respect, weight loss comes naturally as a side effect. If you constantly restrict and binge or eat a bunch of junk, you won’t be happy with your appearance. Weight loss shouldn’t be the sole focus of your fitness journey, self-love and health should be the primary concerns.

Although I am a long way from accepting all of my flaws, I have come a long way from how I used to see myself. I cannot say that I am happier now because I’m thinner. I believe that I am happier because I have been treating my body with respect and finally realizing what amazing things I am capable of. Happiness starts with the choice you make to accept yourself as you are and to focus on health and self-love instead of trying to be “perfect."