I have a secret: I am obsessed with my weight. I try not to be. It’s not healthy, and I know this. I also know that I could take it too far. I know this, I know plenty of people who are having to deal with this, unfortunately. But when it comes to weight, eating disorders can occur, so much so that people need to seek treatment to help them with it (you can click here for more information on that). There’s a fine line between eating healthy and starving yourself though. But I am aware of this, and I know when enough is enough. I’ve tried different trendy diets. I’ve spent some time with Keto, but I really struggled. The keto flu hit me hard and I was sleeping really badly, although I did some research on keto and sleep and found a natural sleep aid that helped. I also tried NSNG (no sugar no grain). As a fruit enthusiast, I found the zero tolerance on even natural sugars torture. But, I think I’ve finally found a solution to fad diets, and it is incredibly simple and logical – clean eating.
We all know that most diets fail. Most of us don’t have the willpower to continue a diet for the rest of our lives, and we shouldn’t. Diets are short-term solutions to weight gain. You aren’t meant to continue on these diets after we have reached your goal weight. You can find critics for every diet out there. Look at how passionately against the Keto diet Jillian Micheals is. However, if you want to start to try and lose some weight, try not to focus much on other diets that people could critique, perhaps make up your own mind while concentrating on what diets or plans could be the best for your health, you’ll more than likely be asking yourself questions such as “is the shark tank keto diet a scam?” and many more anyway. So don’t add more negativity to a potential solution for yourself because it hasn’t worked well for other people, everyone’s bodies and metabolism are very unique to themselves.
What happens once we hit our goal weight when on a diet? We start gaining weight again. Not only do we gain the weight we lost, but we gain extra weight. Being released from a restrictive diet opens all kinds of nasty cravings and binge eating. Some argue that this yo-yo type weight loss and gain is more unhealthy than maintaining a consistent weight – even if you are overweight.
Instead, if we could find some way of eating that was not a diet, per se, but instead a way of changing how you eat, we may be able to maintain not only the diet but a consistent weight after we reach our goal weight.
What if instead of restricting a certain food group, food groups that our bodies need, we just restricted the foods that are overly processed? Would it be so difficult to say no to that Friday pizza delivery if you could make your own pizza with fresh ingredients? Wouldn’t it be easier to pass up that ice cream if you knew you could make yourself a delicious smoothy full of fresh, sweet fruits and veggies?
I’ve been slowly incorporating clean eating into my diet over the past few weeks. I know myself, and if I try to go “whole-hog” I will burn out within two weeks. Instead, I am replacing sweets with smoothies, incorporating more raw foods, and doing 99% of my grocery shopping on the perimeter of the grocery store. I’m happy to report that it is going well.
Like it or not, we are stuck with the bodies we have for our entire lives. Whether or not you like the shape of your arms or the muscle definition in your legs, you have no choice but to keep them. Start respecting your body. Give it exercise, give it fresh food, and don’t restrict any one food group from your diet. Carbohydrates, protein, and fat all have vital uses within our bodies. There is nothing more respectful to your body than feeding it clean, vitamin-rich foods.
There are many benefits of eating a clean food diet – weight loss, greater muscle repair and growth, better sleep, better skin, healthy body overall, better performance in sports, and everyday tasks. I can feel the difference over the past few weeks in how my body is functioning and looking. I feed it good food, and it’s happy.
Sure, clean eating takes more time and energy from you to think about and prepare your meals, but shouldn’t we be expending more calories before consuming calories?
Pinterest is my favorite place for recipe and batch preparation ideas. It’s a great place for motivation and inspiration. If you are inspired to start a clean eating lifestyle, I wish you all the best in your new adventure! I know you can do it.
