None of us are truly immune to the expectations of body image that society and media so blatantly put on a pedestal. Even if we don’t conform to all of these ideals, it’s nearly impossible to escape the effects they have had on others.

I’ve already known plenty of people who were struggling with these expectations this last semester. Unfortunately, they go to extremes to look good for spring break or vacation.

In high school, a pair of my friends decided to work together and support each other in weight loss — going to the gym together, emotional support, etc. Unfortunately, they didn’t necessarily use a healthy diet. Rather, they decided all they would consume was protein shakes.

These meal substitutes aren’t bad — they still provide protein and other nutrients. But to replace all meals with a fortified drink isn’t enough for your body. You’re missing out on many nutrients and fiber to help digestion.

I know of another girl who would work out and go from fad diet to fad diet which varied from eating one kind of fruit — and that’s it — to just drinking juice everyday in order to lose weight.

A friend also told me of a girl who was purely consuming juiced fruits and veggies in order to look good for spring break. Now, juicing is delicious and so much healthier than buying store bought juice – but again, only consuming one kind of food or drink is so incredibly unhealthy for your system, even if it is healthy by itself.

It’s so disheartening to hear these stories of how determined people are to fit into this unreasonable ideal of appearance that they’re sacrificing their health to do so.

Girls are not the only ones who do this — many guys will only rely on protein supplements and shakes to help them bulk up.

A healthy diet isn’t just restriction. Maintaining moderation and frequency in which you eat is absolutely important. I believe having dessert after a meal is healthy — I’m not restricting for long periods of time then binging when I give in.

It’s difficult to sustain a healthy lifestyle in college with classes, work, papers and exams, but it’s not out of reach. Resorting to extreme, restrictive methods to lose weight is not only ineffective, it’s also harmful, sometimes warping your metabolism.

I’m just as guilty of grabbing a bag of chips at the C-store as a makeshift lunch as anyone else, but I try to combat that by keeping healthy and filling snacks in my backpack or picking healthier choices when I do purchase lunch on campus.

If becoming healthy and losing weight is something you truly want to do, don’t give in to restrictive fad diets. There is a very capable nutritionist at Student Health Services who would be more than willing to assist in your journey, selecting healthy, delicious options that will fill you up without weighing you down.

 Stephanie Gartner is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].