What I choose to put into my body and how I view my body should be a me thing, not a you thing. Growing older in this society, I find myself comparing my body to others more and more. My body is not perfect; my thighs are too big, my stomach is too big, or my checks are too round. While reflecting on my own body, I try to remind myself of what truly makes me feel good and happy. Part of what makes me feel good and have the energy to combat my day is the food that I eat.
First, I realized that not eating is not only unhealthy but also a bad way to try to lose weight. I try to eat when I am hungry and hold back when I am not. Yet, holding back does not mean depriving myself of all the food that I like; it means that if I really like cake, I will eat a piece, or a bite, just not the whole thing. After all, that bite will taste the same as all the other bites.
I have also learned that my body, personally, reacts better to healthy foods. Sometimes when I do choose to indulge, I end up feeling lethargic. As much as I love fries from the dining hall, I try to only have them when I crave them. That being said, when I am really craving fries, I’ll go down and get them to satiate my craving. Everyone is different, but when I crave a food, I really crave it, and I will not stop thinking about it until I get that food. The amount of other food that I will eat to try to suppress my craving will end up being worse for my health than just going to get the particular food that I was craving in the first place.
As I said before, food = energy. Therefore, not eating enough = not a lot of energy. Keeping that in mind, I try to eat nice healthy meals when I am hungry to make sure that I have the energy to combat my day and make every day a great day.
Most importantly, despite all my personal tips, I wanted to remind all the readers out there that there is no such thing as a perfect diet for everyone. What might work for you might not work for someone else. Also, your body is exactly what it sounds like: it is YOUR body, and it is not going to look like Suzy’s or Tim’s no matter how many crunches you do or what diet you subscribe to this time. So wake up tomorrow and remind yourself that you are beautiful and your body is your body–so you can eat, drink, and do what makes you happy and feel good!
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or any type of biologist or food scientist. Please take my advice and go to a medical/food professional before making any big changes in your diet. And remember that beauty is not only external.