I am responding to Caroline's post was about eating and exercising, and trying to find that good balance between the two. I can 100% relate to that. Over the summer I was super fit, and ate well and then 1st semester of college it all went down fill. I didn't gain freshman 15, but I lost most of my muscle (fun fact muscle weighs more than fat, so as you increase your exercise you are likely to gain weight because fat is being converted to muscle). That is the reason why I did not gain much weight, rather most of my muscle converted back to fat (so in fact I lost weight). 1st semester was just a mess in terms of my exercise and eating. I was so stressed, and not aware of how to handle my stress (not to mention that I lost my ID and did not get one again until 2nd semester so I couldn't go to the gym), so most of my stress relief was eating (candy especially). I felt like complete poop. My energy levels were completely depleted, my confidence dropped, and walking up the stairs became more of a chore lmao.
I vowed that second semester I would be on top of exercise and healthy eating again. I have been very successful this semester in hitting the gym and eating clean, the only issue is that I started to notice that I was focusing tooooo much on these things, it was becoming an obsession. I felt guilty anytime I had a cheat snack, or even felt bad to give my body a rest day, even after an intense training day. I started to realize that eating well and exercise should be a lifestyle change, and therefore it should not be oppressive. It is simply about shifting your mind to prefer healthy eating, so that it becomes progressively easier. One thing that I did, which has helped me so much with letting go of a lot of the tasty processed and sugary foods I loved was research on how harmful they are to our bodies (and how horrible most of these popular brands are for our health, because they include a lot of chemicals that should not be consumed and many other countries around the world ban but not ours). Additionally, setting fitness goals and finding fun ways of exercising like boxing has made it less of a chore.
Lastly, I had to reorient my mindset to stop thinking that eating well and exercising will "make me beautiful." I believe that that way of thinking is incredibly harmful because it causes one to feel as if their beauty or self worth is dependent on how successful their training days are, or how well they are eating. The only thing I emphasize internally is that I eat well and exercise in order live a long and healthy life, it has no correlation to my worth or beauty.
Lastly, make sure that you eat for your body. Too many people get into the hype of dieting (keto, paleo, etc.) rather than just determining foods that their body likes. Some people need meat, others survive well with less meat. Some people can include more (healthy) carbs into their diets, while others (like myself) react easily (put on weight quicker) when consuming too many carbohydrates and thus I have to be careful with that. Additionally, some people train in order to build muscle and thus eat more food to have a calorie influx, while some are attempting to lose weight and therefore consume less calories to reach a calorie deficit. The point is eat for your body and your goals. Do not follow the latest food trend just because it works for your friend, because it may not work for you and it will cause you to be discouraged.
Lastly, live!!! Don't be afraid to order the ramen bowl on a girl's night out, or have some a glass of lemonade and tacos on vacation. Life is about enjoying. Yes, exercising and healthy eating habits are important, but that should never cause you to feel guilty about treating yourself occasionally.
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