In 2014, my major goal for the year was to be fit. At least that's what I said, I remember even tweeting about it. In hindsight, I think it was more like I wanted to lose weight. I followed all those Twitter fitness accounts to keep me motivated and worked out diligently. Has anyone heard of the seven-minute workout? Well, I did that and a host of many others regularly.
In high school, we had two breaks, a short one and lunch. During the short break, I would only eat an apple and drink water. For me, it wasn't so bad as I've always been a fan of picking water over sugary drinks and I genuinely liked apples. But after a while, I started getting pretty miserable. Sure, I liked apples but I didn't want to have it every single day during short break. Sometimes I wanted Gala (if you know, you know) and Capri Sonne (orange is my favourite flavour, what's yours?). Fridays were my 'cheat days' and Fridays alone. Whilst I never starved myself, I did deprive myself of some of the things I liked to eat because they were 'bad'. I remember not having any cake and ice cream on my friend Daniella's birthday because it wasn't my cheat day. Even just typing that is making me chuckle, how ridiculous.
I obviously couldn't keep that up for long, it's quite exhausting obsessing over food that way. And when I finally had the things I craved, I would overeat because I had deprived myself for so long. So that was my food mentality, eat super clean always and have a cheat day once a week. Fall off the bandwagon because I was being too hard on myself and then start all over again. Super exhausting.
Now that I'm older, I understand things better. The issue wasn't my attempt at eating healthy, for the most part, I did a great job in my opinion. It was this mindset that some foods are good and some are bad. It was just so unfortunate for me that all my favourite foods happened to be labelled bad. For example, white bread and butter. And whilst my mindset has changed over the last three years, it's still a struggle at times to not feel guilty about eating certain things.
Saying no to the concept of bad food doesn't mean that I eat anything I want whenever I want. That just shows a lack of self-discipline. No matter how much you love chocolate, having chocolate all day every day isn't the best choice health wise.
We should all try to eat healthy most of the time and not just to be slim or whatever. For your skin, for your hair, your mood, your health! But at the same time, we shouldn't deprive ourselves of having the things we enjoy. As with everything in life, moderation is really key. One of my major reasons for eating healthy is for skincare and so before eating anything I ask myself if this benefits my skin or not. It has actually been working because today I realised that I haven't eaten bread and butter (my ultimate comfort food) in over a month. It wasn't a conscious decision, I was just so focused on eating what would benefit my skin best. That doesn't mean I don't eat things that some might say aren't the best for clear skin. For example, I just had shortbread and ice cream and I feel pretty good *smug face*
I don't see food as good or bad anymore. It's just simply food. Living on carrot sticks alone will make you miserable and so would living on cake alone. Balance is what I've learned is really important and I try to keep that in mind. I honestly don't know if I'm making sense, this just feels like a long ramble and I thought of not posting it because it's quite personal but maybe it can help someone out there. Remember, food is not your enemy. 😃
In 2014, my major goal for the year was to be fit. At least that's what I said, I remember even tweeting about it. In hindsight, I think it was more like I wanted to lose weight. I followed all those Twitter fitness accounts to keep me motivated and worked out diligently. Has anyone heard of the seven-minute workout? Well, I did that and a host of many others regularly.In high school, we had two breaks, a short one and lunch. During the short break, I would only eat an apple and drink water. For me, it wasn't so bad as I've always been a fan of picking water over sugary drinks and I genuinely liked apples. But after a while, I started getting pretty miserable. Sure, I liked apples but I didn't want to have it every single day during short break. Sometimes I wanted Gala (if you know, you know) and Capri Sonne (orange is my favourite flavour, what's yours?). Fridays were my 'cheat days' and Fridays alone. Whilst I never starved myself, I did deprive myself of some of the things I liked to eat because they were 'bad'. I remember not having any cake and ice cream on my friend Daniella's birthday because it wasn't my cheat day. Even just typing that is making me chuckle, how ridiculous.
I obviously couldn't keep that up for long, it's quite exhausting obsessing over food that way. And when I finally had the things I craved, I would overeat because I had deprived myself for so long. So that was my food mentality, eat super clean always and have a cheat day once a week. Fall off the bandwagon because I was being too hard on myself and then start all over again. Super exhausting.
Now that I'm older, I understand things better. The issue wasn't my attempt at eating healthy, for the most part, I did a great job in my opinion. It was this mindset that some foods are good and some are bad. It was just so unfortunate for me that all my favourite foods happened to be labelled bad. For example, white bread and butter. And whilst my mindset has changed over the last three years, it's still a struggle at times to not feel guilty about eating certain things.
Saying no to the concept of bad food doesn't mean that I eat anything I want whenever I want. That just shows a lack of self-discipline. No matter how much you love chocolate, having chocolate all day every day isn't the best choice health wise.
We should all try to eat healthy most of the time and not just to be slim or whatever. For your skin, for your hair, your mood, your health! But at the same time, we shouldn't deprive ourselves of having the things we enjoy. As with everything in life, moderation is really key. One of my major reasons for eating healthy is for skincare and so before eating anything I ask myself if this benefits my skin or not. It has actually been working because today I realised that I haven't eaten bread and butter (my ultimate comfort food) in over a month. It wasn't a conscious decision, I was just so focused on eating what would benefit my skin best. That doesn't mean I don't eat things that some might say aren't the best for clear skin. For example, I just had shortbread and ice cream and I feel pretty good *smug face*
I don't see food as good or bad anymore. It's just simply food. Living on carrot sticks alone will make you miserable and so would living on cake alone. Balance is what I've learned is really important and I try to keep that in mind. I honestly don't know if I'm making sense, this just feels like a long ramble and I thought of not posting it because it's quite personal but maybe it can help someone out there. Remember, food is not your enemy. 😃
In high school, we had two breaks, a short one and lunch. During the short break, I would only eat an apple and drink water. For me, it wasn't so bad as I've always been a fan of picking water over sugary drinks and I genuinely liked apples. But after a while, I started getting pretty miserable. Sure, I liked apples but I didn't want to have it every single day during short break. Sometimes I wanted Gala (if you know, you know) and Capri Sonne (orange is my favourite flavour, what's yours?). Fridays were my 'cheat days' and Fridays alone. Whilst I never starved myself, I did deprive myself of some of the things I liked to eat because they were 'bad'. I remember not having any cake and ice cream on my friend Daniella's birthday because it wasn't my cheat day. Even just typing that is making me chuckle, how ridiculous.
I obviously couldn't keep that up for long, it's quite exhausting obsessing over food that way. And when I finally had the things I craved, I would overeat because I had deprived myself for so long. So that was my food mentality, eat super clean always and have a cheat day once a week. Fall off the bandwagon because I was being too hard on myself and then start all over again. Super exhausting.
Now that I'm older, I understand things better. The issue wasn't my attempt at eating healthy, for the most part, I did a great job in my opinion. It was this mindset that some foods are good and some are bad. It was just so unfortunate for me that all my favourite foods happened to be labelled bad. For example, white bread and butter. And whilst my mindset has changed over the last three years, it's still a struggle at times to not feel guilty about eating certain things.
Saying no to the concept of bad food doesn't mean that I eat anything I want whenever I want. That just shows a lack of self-discipline. No matter how much you love chocolate, having chocolate all day every day isn't the best choice health wise.
We should all try to eat healthy most of the time and not just to be slim or whatever. For your skin, for your hair, your mood, your health! But at the same time, we shouldn't deprive ourselves of having the things we enjoy. As with everything in life, moderation is really key. One of my major reasons for eating healthy is for skincare and so before eating anything I ask myself if this benefits my skin or not. It has actually been working because today I realised that I haven't eaten bread and butter (my ultimate comfort food) in over a month. It wasn't a conscious decision, I was just so focused on eating what would benefit my skin best. That doesn't mean I don't eat things that some might say aren't the best for clear skin. For example, I just had shortbread and ice cream and I feel pretty good *smug face*
I don't see food as good or bad anymore. It's just simply food. Living on carrot sticks alone will make you miserable and so would living on cake alone. Balance is what I've learned is really important and I try to keep that in mind. I honestly don't know if I'm making sense, this just feels like a long ramble and I thought of not posting it because it's quite personal but maybe it can help someone out there. Remember, food is not your enemy. 😃
Very proud of you, lovely post xx
ReplyDeletethank you my love <3
DeleteAmazing post. I feel SO guilty now for having white bread...and oh my I love me a crusty-toasty white baguette with chorizo or ham! But after hearing about how 'bad' it is, I got into the habit of buying brown bread...my hands automatically pick the brown bread not a bad thing. Still enjoy white about one in two weeks haha
ReplyDeleteI loved reading this!
http://www.desiringsme.com/ways-to-wear-summer-basics/
Aww glad you loved reading this Yara! Thanks for stopping by :)
DeleteI really need to start looking at the foods I eat, but I would say in general I don't eat really unhealthily. Yes, I eat pizza/mcdonalds/any other fast food once a week, but I guess that is like my cheat day haha.
ReplyDeleteAleeha xXx
http://www.halesaaw.co.uk/
I don't think there's anything wrong with that, you're doing it all in moderation from the sound of it :)
DeleteThanks for reading Aleeha! xx
Eating healthy doesn't mean eating boring. Also, moderation is key.
ReplyDeleteXoXo,
Tamara - LoveofMode.com
Totally! Healthy does not equal boring at all. Thanks for stopping by Tamara :)
DeleteI totally agree with this. After years of fad diets I've finally realised everything in moderation is the answer xx
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thatnewdress.com
It's definitely the answer, thanks for reading Dominique :)
DeleteI completely agree with you, that balance is probably the best way for a healthy lifestyle. I think that focusing only on a few foods can make you feel tired, plus it's better to just have a bit of everything and enjoy yourself, rather than being miserable xx
ReplyDeleteVelvet Blush
I agree totally, no one wants to be miserable right? Thanks for reading! xx
DeleteYes, finding balance is the most important thing. One day I will eat a salad, drink plenty of water and exercise, next day I will eat a piece of cake or ice-cream because I want to. I wanted to start eating healthy for a long time now and I cut most of junk food but there are days when I eat it. And I am happy about it :) Great post!! x
ReplyDeleteYiota
pinkdaisyloves.blogspot.com
Aww thanks for reading Yiotou and I agree with you! <3
DeletePerfect!!!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice evening!
Photographer Gil Zetbase
http://www.gilzetbase.com/
thank you! xx
DeleteSuch an important point! People often overlook that mental health is just as important as physical health but the 2 are both affected by diet! Balance is so so important and sometimes you just have to remind yourself that life is too short - eat the doughnut!
ReplyDeleteSinéad xo Fabuleuse Du Jour
Sinéad xo Fabuleuse Du Jour
I know right! What you eat certainly affects your mental health to an extent. Thanks for reading Sinead! xx
DeleteI really enjoyed reading this and I can relate to it so much! I used to go weeks eating super healthy and then I'd have one bad day and that was it for a week or so until I tried to eat healthy again and it really was a vicious circle! I still have treats now but I've found healthy foods I actually enjoy eating and I like trying different things to keep it interesting. Fab post chick :) x
ReplyDeleteAlways, Alice
Aww thanks so much Alice! I was exactly the same, glad we've seen the light haha. xx
DeleteI couldn`t agree with this post more. Personally, I`m so tired of the clean eating movement. Yes, we should eat healthy, but I think we are allowed a treat every now and then.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.beautynerd.co.uk
Yes to a treat every now and then! Thanks for reading Georgiana. xx
DeleteI have to agree with you.
ReplyDeleteYou need to set out to have good livestyle choices and say no to being unhealthy overall in order to sustain it.
I think if we say no to everything all the time we will have very boring lives.
And after all living is about having fun (in moderation) right?
Kiri
Set to Glow
http://www.settoglow.com.au
I totally agree Kiri, thanks for reading! xx
DeleteOh totally, life is all about balance! Personally, I like to eat clean most of the time because it makes me feel good, but that doesn't mean I won't indulge once in a while! Thinking of food as good or bad is super unhealthy (unless the food in question is full of preservatives, that is!)
ReplyDeletexo
Siffat
http://icingandglitter.com
Haha yup, foods that have loads of unnatural chemicals and stuff are certainly bad for us. Thanks for reading Siffat <3
DeleteI make a concerted effort to avoid eating foods that won't help my skin - plus, I drink 7 pints of water a day, so it really has improved since making those changes! However, that hasnt stopped me from having a brownie now and then haha! xx
ReplyDeleteMarina x
https://marinawriteslife.blogspot.fr/
Girlll, that's a lot of water. I want to be like you haha! Thanks for reading Marina <3
DeleteI can relate - me & food have definitely had an up down relationship - I genuinely love to eat... and usually not good food... which means I gain and lose when I've gained too much. In the past when I've decided to lose - its been via eating less and therefore not too healthy. But this time when I've got in shape, I've focused more on just eating healthy and working out right. Which is great because I have still kept in cheat days & some carbs which make me happy :)
ReplyDeletehttp://skylish.co.uk
That's the key, focusing on eating healthy and exercising. Thanks for stopping by Kemi :)
DeleteIt's all about doing things in moderation, like you said. I used to be so hard on myself when I didn't eat right and will sometimes throw myself a pity party. It only made things worse and led to many more "bad" decisions. Bad in quote because sometimes, it really isn't as bad as we think. With things like food especially, moderation is so important.
ReplyDeleteAnd LOL at not eating your friend's cake. Haha! How could you even pass on ice cream?
Great post. Well done Demilade!
-Ufuoma
Haha, I honestly don't know how I passed on the cake and ice cream. I wouldn't do that now, for sure. Thanks for reading Ufuoma and for your kind words :)
DeleteI've been doing this too!! It makes such a difference to think skin first and how it all helps your body from the inside out xx
ReplyDeleteYup, it makes a world of difference! Thanks for reading Lindsey :)
Delete