Why I Am Chasing Strong, Not Skinny: A Girl’s Guide to Strength and Recovery
For most of my life, I thought fitness was about getting smaller. I chased numbers on a scale, measured my worth in dress sizes, and pushed my body to extremes in the pursuit of thinness. And for a while, I succeeded—I lost a lot of weight. But what I didn’t realize was that with every pound I dropped, I was also losing my energy, my happiness, and my sense of strength.
At some point, I had to ask myself: What was all of this really for? I wasn’t feeling healthier. I wasn’t stronger. I was exhausted, disconnected from my body, and constantly at war with food and exercise. That’s when I knew something had to change.
Reframing Food as Nourishment, Not the Enemy
For years, I saw food as something to be controlled, restricted, or “earned” through workouts. Every bite felt like a negotiation. But the truth is, food is fuel. It’s nourishment, not punishment. I’ve been working on undoing years of diet culture conditioning, reminding myself that eating enough—actually enough—isn’t a weakness, but a necessity.
Now, I focus on fueling my body with intention. I prioritize protein for strength, complex carbs for energy, and healthy fats for recovery, loosely tracking my macros to make sure I’m hitting my goals. I’ve learned that skipping meals and under-eating doesn’t make me disciplined; it just makes me weaker. I no longer see food as something to fear, but as something that allows me to show up stronger every day. A lot of people have asked me before, but as for my macros, I try to aim for about 44 percent of my calories coming from carbs, 33 percent of my calories coming from protein, and 23 percent of my calories coming from fat.
Picking Up Heavy Weights and Loving It
One of the biggest shifts in my journey has been embracing strength training. There was a time when lifting heavy felt intimidating—like it wasn’t “for me.” But now, I feel my strongest and most confident when I’m under a barbell or holding a kettlebell, pushing past limits I once thought were impossible.
Strength training has given me more than just muscle; it’s given me proof of my own resilience. There’s something incredibly powerful about realizing that your body can handle more than you thought. It’s no longer about shrinking myself—it’s about growing, building, and challenging myself in new ways.
Movement as Joy, Not Punishment
For too long, I treated workouts like penance for what I ate the day before. I ran on empty, exhausted and over-trained, convinced that the harder I pushed, the more worthy I’d become. But moving out of guilt and fear isn’t sustainable, and it certainly isn’t joyful.
Now, I train because I want to, not because I feel like I have to. I listen to my body, take rest days when I need them, and explore movement that actually makes me happy. Whether it’s lifting weights, going for a run outside, or playing a game of pickleball with friends, I’m learning that movement can—and should—be something I enjoy.
Redefining Strength on My Terms
Chasing strong instead of skinny means stepping away from the toxic mindset that smaller is better. It means valuing my energy, my muscle, my endurance, and my well-being over an arbitrary number on a scale. I am no longer working out to disappear. I am here to take up space. To lift heavier, eat better, rest harder, and honor my body for what it can do, not just how it looks.
If you’ve ever felt stuck in the cycle of shrinking yourself, I hope you know there’s another way. Strength isn’t just about lifting weights—it’s about reclaiming your body, your mindset, and your power. And trust me, that feels better than skinny ever did.