The battle with weight loss is often fought in the kitchen, and I know I speak for many women when I say that eating healthy is one of the most challenging aspects of reaching one’s goal weight. There is SO MUCH yummy food in the world! Sweet, savory and everything in between; I love ALL the food and often find myself indulging more than I would like to admit.
Finding the balance between living your best life and eating healthy is extremely difficult. Cravings, stress and busy schedules are all factors that weigh into the food choices we make on a daily basis. My relationship with food up until this point has always been negative. Food brings me the happiest of joys and the saddest of regrets all at the same time. I feel most content when sitting with a huge plate of my favorite food (pizza, burgers, ice cream, cereal, etc.) and then as soon as the last bite is consumed, I am instantly overcome with a dark feeling of remorse. It is a never-ending cycle of which I cannot seem to break free… until now.
Most experts would agree that the first step to solving a problem is admitting that you have one. With the being said, I would say the two biggest problems I have when it comes to food are binge eating and hiding the fact that I am a binge eater. When I eat in public, I consciously make the choice to eat healthy so people will say “Well she is a big girl but at least knows to order the salad.” However, when I am by myself, I will consume an unusually large amount of food in one sitting and will do so multiple times in one day. I’m not sure why I cannot stop myself from doing this, but no matter how hard I have tried, the cycle continues.
This section, “But I Love Food”, is one of the most important in this entire blog because we will be discussing the love/hate relationship that we all have with food. Our goal here is to turn a negative into a positive one small step at a time. I want to fall in love with veggies and fruit. I want the first thing I grab for when I want a snack to be an apple, not a cookie. And TOGETHER we can do it.
We are not going on a crash diet or trying one of the latest Hollywood fads, we are simply going to make the choice to eat healthy more times in a day than we eat bad. Some important highlights from my game plan include:
- Meal prep at the beginning of each week
- Stay hydrated by drinking lots of water
- Get a healthy amount of fiber in our diets
- Eat the proper balance of protein, carbs and healthy fats
- Significantly cut down on the amount of sugar we are consuming
- Try to cut out processed foods as best we can
- And last, but most certainly not least, we are going to be extremely gentle and patient with ourselves.
I do want you to remember that I AM NOT a nutritionist, personal trainer, or dietitian. And I highly suggest that you consult your healthcare provider before making drastic changes to your diet. My role here is to be very open and vulnerable about the struggles that I face on a daily basis and share what has been most helpful for me. Everyone is different and no two people will lose weight at the same pace. The biggest goal I have for this blog is to create a community of strong women that can lean on each other, hold one another accountable and celebrate each other’s victories. One small step at a time we will fall in love with eating healthy and will overcome one of the biggest obstacles that separates us from our health and fitness goals.
My challenge to you: Fall in love with taking care of yourself.
