Diet Details

Let me start by saying there are so many "diets" to chose from. Paleo, plant based, intermittent fasting, IIFYM, clean eating, intuitive eating, keto and so on. In order to lose fat you have to be in a caloric deficit, and to gain muscle you have to be in a caloric surplus. It comes down to preference (unless you're on a competition prep or have health conditions). Tracking calories and macros allowed me not to see food as "good or bad" but instead taught me to fuel my body with proper amount of macronutrients. (I would recommend EVERYONE doing this for even a week just to understand what is going in your body...but consult with a nutritionist) Everyone should find a "diet" (lifestyle) that works for them. I now practice intuitive eating because I tracked macros/calories for about 2+ years. I made mistakes along the way with eating, and I wanted to write this to hopefully help other people understand why they feel the way they do during a transition into a healthier lifestyle.

Enjoy! xx

1. Starting out... RESTRICTION: I was pinning skinny girls on Pinterest, eating salads, thinking I should do cardio everyday, drinking healthy detox tea/water, and was obsessed with abs. I thought there was actual "fat burning foods" and would eat them as much as I could, and I thought PB was a significant protein source...(if only lol)

Food intake: Choosing low calorie foods, portions extremely small and binging on weekends. (see photo)

Normal "healthy" food ideas: Salads, Salmon + veggies, banana and peanut butter, bag of almonds and berries, juice cleanse

Feelings: Hunger at night, low energy

Thoughts: This bite of cake will make me fat. Screw healthy eating. I'd rather eat tacos like a normal person. Eating healthy is too hard. I will start Monday, so pass me the bag of chips.

Physically: No weight change. Weight gain from the binge and restrict method.

2. A few months later...MACROS: (Tracking macros means you track protein,carbs,fats in an app)

Food intake: Higher calories, higher protein

Normal "healthy" food ideas: No good or bad foods. Icecream, doughnuts, pizza... anything was "healthy". No concept of micronutrients anymore. (this was my trade an apple for ice cream phase in life)

Feelings: Happyishhhh...I was losing fat and gaining muscle. And saw progress even with eating mostly "fun foods". I got passionate about tracking and realizing what was in the foods I was eating.

Thoughts: Overtime I got obsessive. No more going out if it wasn't tracked, frustrated if I over ate even a few calories or carbs and ALWAYS thought about my next meal. Hungry at night because all I thought about was food.

Physically: More energy, felt stronger because of the higher protein and calories in general. Felt bloated a lot.

Knew it was time (recently in the last few months) to end the obsessive eating cycle and make a change to...

3. INTUITIVE EATING:

Food intake: ENOUGH TO KEEP ME FULL AND ENERGIZED! What I love about intuitive eating (eating when hungry stopping when full...wow what a concept LOL... ) is that somedays I am more hungry than others. WHICH IS NORMAL AS HELL, and macros didn't allow for anything but consistency with numbers.

Normal "healthy" food ideas: ALL! Veggies, fish, fruit, ice cream, burgers, avocado toast, smoothie bowls. Tacos. I have no restrictions. I have found that my diet is high carb, moderate protein, lower fat and this just works for me. I have cut out heavy dairy products and MY body is reacting well to it.

Feelings: SO INCREDIBLY HAPPY. I know the breakdown of what's going in my body but understand there is no single food that will make me gain weight, the fear of food is gone. (Calories in vs out is truly all that matters for weight loss! No one single food will make you gain fat)

Thoughts: I am choosing foods dense in micronutrients as well as choosing foods that actually make me feel good and satisfied. I have no fear of going out to eat.

Physically: I have been so motivated in the gym knowing my focus is on my workouts rather than my food intake everyday.

When I found weightlifting, I was inspired by women who ate a ton and trained as hard as they could. Find what works for you and understand there are many ways to eat healthy!