I posted an IGTV (instagram tv) video earlier today about this topic, but if you’re not on social media I wanted to make sure you still got the message.
A lot of people are confusing what someone looks like with how healthy they are. Sure bodyweight and/or body fat percentage gives a clue of how healthy someone is, but it’s not the whole picture.
How we look is just that; it’s the presentation of our body from the outside.
Just because someone is “thin” or “ripped” or has visible abs does not mean that they are healthy.
You can work on your health at any size as well and adopt healthy behaviors (and therefore arguably be “healthy”) at any size. You can be above a healthy bodyweight and still have healthy habits and be working on getting to a healthy weight. You can be below a healthy body fat percentage and still be adopting healthy habits to get yourself to a healthy body fat percentage.
Be aware people on social media aren’t always 100% transparent. You don’t know if someone is living off protein bars or taking fat burners behind the scenes.
Also, eating one meal of pizza or ice cream doesn’t make you unhealthy for the day. Ideally you’re having nutrient-dense food 80% of the time and that balance of 20% less nutrient-dense food is totally fine.
So be careful setting on aesthetics goals (how you look, what the scale says). These take time and you could easily get discouraged when you don’t see quick progress. Keep track of the healthy behaviors you accomplish every day. Feel encouraged by those and stay consistent with them over time. The results will follow.