I love sharing my weight loss experiences with people, and it’s flattering to be asked for advice. After all, that is why I created this blog! I want to inspire people to live a fit life!
So, I would like to share my personal food philosophy with you in hopes that it will help you! A healthy diet should not be about deprivation, it should be about eating healthy foods that nourish your body (and taste good too)!
Fit Life Pursuits Food Philosophy
I do not follow a specific diet or eating plan, but I do have some guidelines that I try to stick with to maintain a fit lifestyle.
First, I want to say that I did not incorporate ALL of these guidelines into my life at one time. I began by incorporating one of these into my life until it stuck. Once that eating guideline became a habit, I would try to incorporate another.
It is too much to try to change your entire lifestyle in one day. It takes time. Remember that creating a fit lifestyle is about making small changes, not big sacrifices.
Be aware of how much and what you’re eating
This has become almost second nature to me now, but when I first started caring about my diet, I had to track my calories and nutrients to stay on track.
I started by using the app MyFitnessPal to keep track of how many calories I ate in a day. If you have never kept a food diary, you will be shocked by how much you can eat in a day without realizing it. Now that I have been doing it a while, I pretty much know how much I should be eating at each meal without using the diary.
Drink water first thing in the morning
I drink a glass of water first thing in the morning. Drinking water right when you wake up will jumpstart your metabolism. I also work out in the morning so I find it helpful to hydrate before working out.
Drink water before eating or when hungry
When I start to feel hungry, I will drink a large glass of water before eating. If I do this, I find that I don’t eat as much. Sometimes we feel hungry when we are actually just thirsty. Drinking water before eating helps reduce the binging.
Eat a good breakfast
I have always eaten breakfast so this wasn’t a hard transition for me, but I used to eat sugary cereals for breakfast every day. Now I drink a smoothie made with fruits, vegetables, and Shakeology for breakfast every morning after my workout.
The nutrients I get from the smoothie helps to kickstart my metabolism, reduce cravings, helps with digestion, and keeps me full until I have time for my next snack or meal (which is helpful at work because that can be several hours away).
Don’t deprive myself of the foods I love, modify them
There are no foods or food groups that I completely eliminate from my diet. My philosophy is “everything in moderation”.
If it has been a long time since I had a pizza (which I love), I will either find a healthier way to satisfy my pizza craving , or I will have a slice or two. As long as these not-so-healthy food choices are rare, I say go for it. I usually incorporate one of these “cheat meals” into my week. This helps me to stay consistent the rest of the week.
Eat whole foods as much as possible
I try not to eat processed foods as much as possible. This means, I stay away from the packaged sections of the grocery store and just shop the periphery. This is where you will find the whole foods. Fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, whole grains. Not crackers, cereals, chips, juices. Quality is even more important than quantity.
Try fruit first to satisfy a sweet craving
When I am craving sweets (which I do a lot), I try to eat some fruit first before going for the ice cream. Many times, the fruit is sweet enough to satisfy my craving without adding major calories.
Eat small and often
I try to eat 5 smaller meals a day. This means breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks in between. This keeps me from binge eating at any meal.
Don’t keep tempting foods in the house
It seems simple but I know a lot of people still do it. Keeping unhealthy and tempting foods in the house is like torture. You can tell yourself all day that you won’t eat it, but having it there makes it so easy to fail.
I don’t keep foods in the house that I know I shouldn’t eat. That means no ice cream in the freezer and no cookies in the cupboard. If it is not in line with “whole foods”, I don’t have it in the house. That means that when I do crave it and really want it, it takes a lot more effort to get it, which will make me think about it more, and most of the time ultimately lead to me choosing a healthier option that is conveniently located in the house.
How to Get Started with YOUR Food Philosophy
I have created a 10-Day Kickstart Guide to Healthy Eating that is a great way to kick off your healthy lifestyle and learn how to create good eating habits. It’s completely free and will be delivered to your email once a day for 10 days.
