"You're so skinny! You better watch, the wind will blow you away!" Growing up, statements like these were all I used to hear. And for the first 20 some years of my life, I was able to eat whatever I wanted without counting calories or stepping foot in the gym. However, this quickly changed a few years ago.

It happened slowly at first but eventually spun out of control. I started to notice my pants fitting a little snugger, but, because they still fit, I didn't do anything about my diet. I continued my routine of filling up on pizza, chips and queso, cookies, and beer. Why not? I was young and "skinny". I had never had to worry about my weight. After all, I was skinny and allowed to eat whatever I wanted. Fast forward about 6 months later. After seeing a picture I had posted of myself online, I felt sick to my stomach. "Is this really what I look like?" I thought as I scanned the picture. How did my arms get so big and why did I look like I had been stuffed into my jeans like sausage is stuffed into casing. As I thought about it more, I realized the comments on my slim figure had stopped.

When I got home, I finally bit the bullet and stepped on the scale. To my surprise and horror, I had gained almost 20 pounds. Staring at the numbers displayed in front of me, I stepped off the scale in shock. I'm no longer skinny. I vowed right then to lose the weight and to get back to my normal size, however, once I didn't see instant results, I went back to eating whatever I wanted and packed on another five pounds.

At this point I decided that weight loss was not an option. I even talked myself into thinking "this is just how you look now", which would have been fine except I had never felt so down on myself in my life. Instead of posing in pictures with my fiancé and family members I became the person on the other side of the camera, always insisting to be the photographer. This was my way of avoiding being the subject of ridicule or wonder for social media. When I think back to these days, I am sad. I missed out so many opportunities to create memories because I wasn't comfortable in my own skin.

To add insult to injury, shortly afterwards I found out I was pregnant. While I was elated at the idea of becoming a mother, I knew any hopes of weight loss were pretty much gone. So, I took care of myself during the pregnancy and gained a normal amount of weight - about 35 pounds. While I hated seeing the numbers go up I knew I was keeping my daughter healthy so the weight didn't bother me as much.

After she was born I lost about 20 pounds almost immediately. I was elated! However, those 20 pounds were the only ones that "fell off". I realized once again I was only posting pictures of my daughter, never of us together and that made me sad. So, about six months after she was born, I took charge of my weight loss goals. I stopped lying to myself about what I was consuming. I started counting calories, exercising, and eating healthier foods and before her 1st birthday I was back to my normal size.

While it may seem that my point here is that skinny is the only way to be beautiful, it's not. In a society where "thin is in" it is hard for those who may struggle with body issues, image, or confidence. What I learned by being overweight was that I had a lot of other qualities that were far more important than my size and things like that quickly take the backseat when you put them in perspective. Did my daughter care if I was overweight? No, it was it more important to her that I soothed her when she was upset and made sure her belly was full. As a society, we put so much emphasis on being thin that we tend to forget other things like smart, funny, and kind.

Now when people mention my small size, I can't lie, it does feels good. But, I am also reminded of the time when I wasn't so skinny and the compliments all but stopped. Which begs the question, why were my other qualities not celebrated? To be honest, I still don't feel small, skinny, or slim, even though I am technically back to my "skinny" weight and what's more,

I actually feel a little aggravated whenever someone mentions my size. So what if someone gains or loses 20 pounds? They are still the same person; let's remember that. So, my challenge to you is to remember every day to love and celebrate yourself whether you are a few pounds or many pounds away from your desired weight or figure! If I have learned anything during this time, I do know I want to teach my daughter that taking care of herself is important, but the number on the scale is just that - a number.