My healthy approach to food

Last year at this time, I was at my thinnest weight, tipping the scales at a mere 98 pounds. Now, keep in mind, I’m 5’2’’ so I shouldn’t carry a lot of weight either. But I think it’s undeniable I was entirely too thin…end of story.

However, even at my thinnest, I ate a lot… on the weekends. I had perfected this eating strategy where I would essentially eat as little as I could get away with during the week and then have “cheat days” on the weekends. After all, I read this is how the celebrities maintain their Hollywood figures. And when I was training for a half marathon, I really had to fuel on Friday nights for my long runs on Saturday.

I’m so thankful that I came to my senses and didn’t continue this pattern of eating for too long. I’ve done, and continue to do, so much research on what constitutes a healthy diet and I now take a much much healthier approach to my eating. I eat until I am full and try to sneak in fruits and veggies when at all possible. There are no tricks of the trade here.

The only things I really try to keep an eye on are sugar, sodium and fried foods, but that is merely because I want to stay healthy. I try to balance all of my meals as much as possible. For example, with my oatmeal at breakfast (which I never, ever skip) I always try to include berries and almonds. At lunch, I always work to get in some sort of fruit or vegetable no matter what I’m eating. And at dinner, I won’t make a meal unless I feel it’s got adequate green on the plate.

I’ve found I get fuller so much faster and I’m never afraid to grab a snack during the day if I feel hungry. I know my body is metabolizing my food so much better this way because I am using food as fuel instead. 

I can honestly say I never thought I could eat 1800 or even 2500 calories in a day anymore if it's needed and maintain the weight I'm at now. It's such a good and freeing feeling. I will likely never be 100% food-free in my mind, but I can honestly say I am 98% there and feel so much better and healthier in general.

The other thing I’ve really focused on the past few months that has made such a world of difference is my water consumption. Other than one cup of coffee in the morning, it’s really the only thing I drink on a daily basis. If you Google how water affects your body, I think you’ll be as amazed as I was. Since I’ve started paying attention to how much water I consume everyday, my skin feels better, I am less hungry in between meals and I really just feel better in general. On an average day, I drink almost 70 ounces of water a day. That varies depending on your weight and several other factors, but since I work out about four or five days a week, it’s important to stay hydrated. It will make a world of difference, I promise! :)