I’ve never been an unhealthy person.  I’ve always exercised, played sports, and eaten mindfully.  At no point in my life have I been overweight, but at almost every point in my life, I felt I needed to lose weight.  It never reached extremes, but there was always dissatisfaction with my body.

It’s definitely not perfect today, depending on what time of the month it is, but it’s 90% better.  What got me to this point was shifting the way I ate.  I was done with fad diets and low-fat food.  I needed to put more thought into my workouts and be present.  I didn’t want to be there just for calorie burn,  I wanted to gain strength.  I started buying less processed food, eating more vegetables, and less meat.  As I included more and more REAL food, my energy peaked and my thoughts were more positive.  I could feel myself gaining strength through my workouts and truly feeling healthier from the foods that went into my body.

I’ve gotten rid of the idea of a “perfect weight” for me.  I eat when I’m hungry and listen to my body.  My body will figure out my “perfect weight” on it’s own.  Since cleaning up my diet, I can feel when I need more protein, fat, sugar, etc.  Listening is key.  If I’m energized, I workout.  If I’m sore + tired, I don’t.

In my mind, constantly being dissatisfied with your appearance is just wasted brain space.  I have way too many things on my to-do list, to have “standing in front of the mirror unhappy” be one of them.