Healthy relationships with food

Over the past few months I've noticed more and more people jumping on the healthy train, which is  awesome don't get me wrong, but the whole notion of "clean eating" is starting to become a fad. I love that people are becoming more aware of their bodies and making different decisions on how to effectively fuel their body, but it is creating this illusion of good vs. bad foods. Yes, an apple has more nutritional value (micro nutrients) than a cookie, but they are neither good or bad. They both have calories, carbs and sugar and are processed in the body the same way. A cookie is just viewed as bad because it's not "natural" or "wholesome" and we've been told it isn't healthy to eat by doctors, nutritionists or the clean eating police. No I'm not saying eating 20 cookies is okay, but one isn't going to kill you. And it goes both ways. Eating 20 apples in a sitting on top of the day's worth of food isn't the best either (if you're looking to lose weight). If you don't know apples are almost purely carbs and sugar. The body doesn't recognize what you put in it as a bad or good food, it recognizes it for what it is composed of.



I used to be this way. When I made the switch to "clean eating" I cut out EVERYTHING I came to love, which is not easy not matter what someone tells you. But I did, and for a few months actually. I lost a good amount of weight in a short amount of time but that's not because my body knew the difference between the good and bad foods, it's simply because I was eating fewer calories than before. Going from a high caloric diet of taco bell, pop tarts and cereal to veggies, fruits and lean meats will do that to you. 



Cut to a few months later on a trip to Vegas where I'm surrounded by quick cheap meals and I'm out of my kitchen where I'm able to cook my nutritional foods. I was on the mind set of "I'm on vacation so I'm going to eat whatever I want", which is what everyone should do, it's vacation. But I went crazzzzzzzzy. Like eating tons and tons of all my favorite foods that I missed. It was like a recovering alcoholic going to a wine tasting party. And then when I got back from vacation I couldn't get back on track no matter how hard I tried. I would start off eating really healthy and then when dinner hit all my cravings would flood me and I couldn't say no to "bad foods" anymore. One night I found myself hunched over a carton of ice cream shoving scoops into my mouth, and I couldn't stop! Not a pretty image I know, just trying to be honest. And I know everyone has had this happen to them before. Well cut to a few months later over summer and I managed to gain back all the weight I worked so hard to get off and keep off. I found myself looking in the mirror soooo depressed and mad at myself for what I let myself do. Like I was lying in bed one night completely hating everything I was, how could I let myself go? It also didn't help that I was following tons of fitspo's on instragram that were in killer shape and were constantly telling me that what I was eating was BAD.

After I came back from Disneyland I decided it was time to cut the shit and find something that made me happy AND healthy. My all time favorite fitspo recently made the switch to IIFYM (talked about it 1 post back) who also suffered from keeping a healthy body image. I made the switch and I haven't been happier! And I'm not just saying that for the sake of saying it, I am happier in my skin and better yet I have a healthy relationship with food which is SO important. 

Why exactly?? It is all about BALANCE and MODERATION. I'm tired of people saying that you need to cut out everything you love in order to be healthy. I'm tired of people standing over others proclaiming that eating "clean" is the only way to go. And yes that used to be me I will fully admit, but not anymore. It's about incorporating wholesome foods while still enjoying a treat here and there or even every day (as I have been doing). How exactly?? Well if you read my previous post about IIFYM where I explain what it means, it's all about meeting my macro goals and not worrying about whether a food is good or bad. Like I mentioned before, all foods are made up of a  macro ratio, which are carbs, protein, fat and then micro nutrients, which are your vitamins and minerals. Everyday I eat 200 grams of Carbs, 50 grams of Fat and 125 grams of Protein. Yes, you saw that right, a whole 200 grams of carbs. 

People who IIFYM are often negatively viewed as people who eat pizza and cookies all day and get away with it by saying "it fits my macros" when that isn't true. I still eat 85% "clean" because they help me better meet my macros. I can't get away with eating pizza all day everyday because then I would be deficient in protein and way way over my fat and carb goals, which will make me gain weight. I also have to eat nutrient dense foods to meet my micro nutrient goals. I will make a post at a later time showing a typical day of IIFYM with macro and micro information to give an example. 

So how can I fit in naughty yummy delicious foods without gaining weight? Well since I'm eating the same amount of macros each day, my body get's accustomed to this information, which thus increasing my metabolism and my body's will to burn fat. It's bro science. So say I've met my 125g protein goal for the day, but I have roughly 20g of carbs and 5g of fat left and I need to fulfill them. A diet where I need to eat? Yes please. Well guess what? A 1/2 cup of reduced fat Dreyers mint chocolate chip ice cream has 17g of carbs and 4.5g of fat in it. I EAT THAT SHIT because it fits my macros. Which I have been doing for the past 5 nights ;) Let me be an example and just say that you don't have to deprive yourself of the foods you love because they are viewed as bad. If you want that damn cookie, then eat it, or I will

It may seem taxing to have to put in every single thing I eat into consideration, but don't clean eaters do the same? Yeah I have to input everything I eat into Myfitnesspal to figure out my macros and meals for the day, but I love doing it. I look forward to doing it. It fascinates me to see the ratio amounts of the foods I eat. And that is how it should be. Let me say that I have nothing wrong with eating clean all the time and I'm not trying to put you down if you do or follow a different diet, I'm saying there is so much more out there than what is being perceived as healthy.

And let me finish by saying that you should only do it because it makes YOU happy and no one else. I don't eat this way because someone told me I need to, or I want to look like a certain actress, I do it because it makes me feel good. Life is too short to be stuffing your face with salad day in and day out because you're trying to fit your body into society's stereotypes of what a body should look like. I was unhappy and finding something that I actually enjoy has made me so much more happier in life! Happy mind=Healthy life.

Donuts also make me happy :)