“On the left: I was 18 years old and YO-YO dieting. I gained 15+lbs in my first year of college, which was really hard on my self-esteem. My habits were extremely unhealthy. I would over-restrict Monday-Thursday (barely eating and doing tons of cardio every night) and then by the time the weekends rolled around I would binge eat really unhealthy foods because my body was HUNGRY / Not getting the nutrients it needed!! I'd eat and wouldn't work out and by Monday I felt horrible about myself and would start the over-restrictive diet again for Mon-Thurs. This binge/restrict cycle went on and on. This is actually very common - I talk with girls all the time who find themselves in a similar situation. It's that "all or nothing" attitude that keeps us from success-- when a person is either totally restricting foods & doing excess cardio -OR- eating everything you can find and not exercising at all. Neither way is good...you need balance.... without balance you won't be able to sustain the diet for long enough to see results...the solution?
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Picture on the right: For the last few years I have been practicing a way more balanced lifestyle! I eat lots of healthy foods to keep my body happy, healthy, and satisfied! And instead of being a "cardio bunny" I weight-train 5x a week which has changed my body shape completely while making me stronger and healthier as well. I eat foods I love, I don't cut out entire food groups. I eat "healthy" nutrient dense foods 90% of the time and the other 10% is "treat" foods like ice cream or cookies, etc.! That way I never have to feel like I'm missing out! Moderation is everything when it comes to long-term success with a diet!! Giving your body the nutrients it needs everyday also means you won't find the urge to binge come Friday or Saturday... Bc your body is well-fed!
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Adopting a healthy mindset will get you way further than any crash diet EVER will.”
