I would say I'm pretty much a typical 20-something. I indulge in sweets, drinking with friends, ordering Dominos at ungodly hours of the night. It's put on me on a rollercoaster ride with my self-image and weight. I've gone through times where I was pretty healthy and times where I was overweight and feeling completely emotionally devastated. After spending 2017 not understanding why I was still gaining weight and feeling down (even though I had gone vegan). As an actor, too, my body is everything. I'm judged by my appearance constantly and my weight is definitely part of that. I'm tall and sometimes I can hide fluctuations in my weight very well but I couldn't hide it from myself. I needed to change.

So after the New Year's party was over, I told myself that I was serious about eating healthy and giving my body what it really needed.

To be honest, the first few days were so rough. All I wanted were chips and chocolate and all the vegan ice cream. I thought, at the start, that I was depriving myself and I was certainly told that as well. I was miserable and feeling guilty over "depriving" my body. I decided to try and stick through it since I had also read that the first three days after changing your eating habits were the worst. It was almost like going through a sort of withdrawal which I think is accurate considering the addictive quality of processed foods and how they're tied to our mood.

After three and a half-ish days, I started to feel clean. After a week, my body started to want the healthier and nutrient-packed foods. I started feeling more energetic as well and satisfied long-term instead of reaching for snacks every half hour or so. After a few weeks, my clothes started to fit better and I felt more comfortable in my own skin.

Of course, weight-loss was a factor in me changing my diet but I found the energy and the increased self-confidence the most important factor. I've also learned, in the time since adapting my diet, that allowing myself time to indulge is perfectly fine. But making 90% of my diet clean and healthy has changed my life for the better.

I thought it was impossible for me to make this change. I was totally against it at first and thought "what's the use? I'm going to fail anyway". That's the first mistake I and many people make when attempting to make a big change in their lives. I thought it would be nearly impossible and that I would fail immediately. But I realized that change takes time and it's more than okay to "slip up". Don't completely deprive yourself but realize how processed food affects your body compared to cleaner foods.

Of course, I won't pass up an opportunity to order a pizza. But now when I do, I notice how it makes me feel and I take my time instead of scarfing down the entire thing. I cook a lot more and though some may think it's an "inconvenience", I think of it as a necessity to keep up my healthy lifestyle and to sustain my happiness and healthiness.