The Skinny Rules: The 101 Secrets Every Skinny Girl Knows Paperback - 2011

I was writing this book at the most ironic point in my life. To make a long story short, I signed the publishing contract when our second son was only three weeks old, at a time when most women feel the furthest thing from "Skinny." Which brings me to my first point—what does it mean to be Skinny? Society has defined Skinny as what size clothes you wear and how you look in them. The medical community defines Skinny by your body mass index (BMI)—the ratio of your height to your weight. And the dictionary defines Skinny as: being thin.

Yet, as a nutrition expert, I have my own definition of Skinny. I believe that Skinny is actually defined by the lifestyle you lead and not by the size clothes you wear. Let's say your BMI is in a "healthy range" and you appear visibly thin—does this mean you are healthy? I say maybe. If you are eating well, exercising and taking care of your body then, yes, this is living a healthy Skinny life. If you are filling your body with garbage foods, smoking, and are inactive then, no, even if you appear Skinny, you aren't living a Skinny life! My goal is to challenge you to think of Skinny in a new way—think of it as living a healthy and active life, rather than defining Skinny simply by the size clothes you wear.

Now take a moment and ask yourself who are you trying to be "Skinny" for? Here is a piece of advice that I love. It comes from Alison Sweeney, host of The Biggest Loser, who told www.fitnessmagazine.com, "Do it for yourself! If you're trying to lose weight for your husband or mother, it won't work." If you are trying to change your lifestyle for someone else, you aren't going to have the true motivation you need to change. Challenge yourself to change

Molly Morgan, RD, CDN, counsels individual and corporate clients on good nutrition through her company, Creative Nutrition Solutions. She has been featured on CNN and in national magazines like Fitness, Shape, Women\u2019s Health and many more. Visit her at www.mollymorganrd.com.