Studying abroad spring 2016 was easily one of the best decisions I have ever made. It allowed me to see the world and make new friends all the while. During my time abroad I had very little class, six days to be exact, and lots of free time respectively. As a result of this I was able to go travel a lot, and also go out a lot. With few expectations of me and a lack of (good) gyms near me, abroad started to take over, and in the process ruined my body.

I’ve always been super uncomfortable talking about weight; it’s just not something I like to do despite it coming up more often than I’d often imagine it would. However, now that I’ve gotten my body back to where it was pre-abroad I’m more open about the fact that going abroad really destroyed it. It was something I had hoped wouldn’t happen, but also something I’m really not surprised did.

I know where it all went wrong; it was definitely the going out almost every night if not four times a week that created my abroad 15, that’s right, 15 pounds was gained abroad. Now that it’s gone I’m more open about it because at the time, despite seeing the changes in my face, I wasn’t willing to admit even to myself what was going on.

It shouldn’t have been surprising that eating anything I wanted and not working out resulted like it did, yet somehow I was shocked. While I read that you sometimes lose weight while traveling, that’s only true if you’re walking a ton and still eating healthy. I was doing neither. In my free time I avoided the gym, although at the time I assumed that going once a week or every two weeks was enough, and indulged in Netflix binges. While traveling, I ate everything that looked good. It was a toxic way to spend my time for my body; but looking back, if there was ever a time to do that, it was that semester.

Now that I’m back to reality I’m back to working out and eating healthier. I don’t go out as much as I used to, and I also don’t eat out as much either. While the weight gain was disheartening, it showed me that I can get back control of my body just as quickly as I lost it.

If you’re going abroad, understand that there are ways to not gain an abroad baby, but also if there was ever a time to do it, it might be while traveling. I had gained fifteen pounds but if not gaining it meant not experiencing everything I did, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.