Picture this: You come home after a long day of working and open your fridge to see the leftover cake from your sister’s wedding, and the meal prep you prepared earlier that week, because you want to bulk for the gym. Every cell in your body craves for the rich, chocolatey, decadent cake. The devil on your shoulder says yes, but the angel says, “No. Go for the meal prep.”. There is a basic reason for this that a lot of people don’t realize; depriving yourself of something will just make you want it even more.   

OR

One morning you wake up and find that you want to bulk for the gym, or maybe even drop a few pounds. You adapt a restrictive lifestyle and diet, but oh no! Now you want what you don’t have: the food you restricted yourself of. So, you go back to the diet you had before said restrictive lifestyle, but oh no, now you want to bulk for the gym and drop a few pounds again!

No matter what you’re trying to achieve with this lifestyle, the point is that you’re controlling what you eat so closely, that it becomes exhausting to keep up with. But bear in mind, I’m not saying that you should ban keto diets and low carb diets altogether, so if it works for you, then by all means go for it. But if you find yourself stressing out over trying to stick to a certain diet and lifestyle, then just maybe, that diet or lifestyle isn’t suited for you.

One of the most infamous and easy to fall into diets is one where people restrict, then overeat, restrict again, overeat, repeatedly. It’s like being in a toxic relationship where two friends clearly don’t work out, but they keep going back to each other and trying to make up.  These popular diets are incredibly easy to turn to especially when they are recommended by your favorite model or celebrity. With that being said, don’t follow a diet that you can’t keep up with. Doing so can also encourage disordered eating habits, which can prove to be extremely difficult to recover from. Let’s say you start a keto diet, and you find yourself reaching for that baguette and blueberry muffin every hour, but you end up talking yourself out of eating them for a whole 20 minutes, then just maybe the keto diet isn’t for you. What works for one person may not work for another; we all have different needs so if you feel like you can and you want to, then explore diets to figure out what is best suited for you. If it’s intuitive eating, then that’s completely valid too!

Moderation is key, which is what my parents repeated verbatim. This phrase became one of the most important lessons I’ve ever had to learn, and it was all because of my diet. Growing up, my parents constantly stressed how important it is to have a balance in what I was eating- whether it be home cooked meals or eating at a restaurant, I had to learn that variety is important. Too many carbs can weigh you down and too much protein can create all sorts of unnecessary problems. Anyways, you get the point; too much of anything isn’t good. Having a balance of carbs, fats, and especially protein is important to lead a healthy life. Although we all know this, many of us, including myself, tend to brush it off.

Considering that our bodies all have different needs, instead of forcing yourself to eat meals that don’t work for you, eat what you want but in moderation. I mean, there’s a reason parents don’t let their children eat chocolate cake for every meal; there is barely any nutritional value except for carbs and sugar in cake and maybe 2 grams of protein if you’re lucky. I’m not saying don’t eat the cake but have a slice of cake after you eat a meal with lots of nutrients. A balance of fiber, carbs, fat, protein, sodium, and so much more is essential for your body to function as it needs to. This may sound complicated, but it’s really not. Just stick to what your body is telling you- if you’re hungry, then eat some vegetables or fruit. If you’re craving a chocolate after that, then eat the chocolate!

With that, I will say, do what works for you. I’m not giving you a step-by-step guide on how to prepare your meals nor how to live your life every single day; just remember that the healthier your eating choices are, the healthier you are.

Considering that our bodies all have different needs, instead of forcing yourself to eat meals that don’t work for you, eat what you want but in moderation. I mean, there’s a reason parents don’t let their children eat chocolate cake for every meal; there is barely any nutritional value except for carbs and sugar in cake and maybe 2 grams of protein if you’re lucky. I’m not saying don’t eat the cake but have a slice of cake after you eat a meal with lots of nutrients. A balance of fiber, carbs, fat, protein, sodium, and so much more is essential for your body to function as it needs to. This may sound complicated, but it’s really not. Just stick to what your body is telling you- if you’re hungry, then eat some vegetables or fruit. If you’re craving a chocolate after that, then eat the chocolate!

With that, I will say, do what works for you. I’m not giving you a step-by-step guide on how to prepare your meals nor how to live your life every single day; just remember that the healthier your eating choices are, the healthier you are.

Considering that our bodies all have different needs, instead of forcing yourself to eat meals that don’t work for you, eat what you want but in moderation. I mean, there’s a reason parents don’t let their children eat chocolate cake for every meal; there is barely any nutritional value except for carbs and sugar in cake and maybe 2 grams of protein if you’re lucky. I’m not saying don’t eat the cake but have a slice of cake after you eat a meal with lots of nutrients. A balance of fiber, carbs, fat, protein, sodium, and so much more is essential for your body to function as it needs to. This may sound complicated, but it’s really not. Just stick to what your body is telling you- if you’re hungry, then eat some vegetables or fruit. If you’re craving a chocolate after that, then eat the chocolate!

With that, I will say, do what works for you. I’m not giving you a step-by-step guide on how to prepare your meals nor how to live your life every single day; just remember that the healthier your eating choices are, the healthier you are.