When I was younger, I was overweight. (The person above the header, that would be me) Anyone who knows me well knows my story. If you don't or you didn't know, you will now.
The summer before I went into high school, I lost almost 30 pounds. I ran on the treadmill for an hour and a half every day, and I went vegan, simultaneously limiting myself to 1,500 calories a day. Obviously, it worked. The weight I struggled so hard to lose disappeared in three months and I was unbelievably thrilled. But here is the issue. The way I lost the weight created so many longer lasting mental battles that I never would have expected.
I became obsessed with my diet. I counted my calories down to the decimal point. I used to wake up at 4 a.m. before school to make sure I worked out for the day and burned 800 calories. I used to make sure I was eating no more than my daily allotted calories, sometimes eating only close to 600. Then, of course, I would gorge. After starving myself for a week, I would be unbelievably hungry. I would sit down with a jar of peanut butter and a bag of pretzels and I would eat half of each. After that I figured, I'm already eating so why not eat that ice cream I've been avoiding? Or those cookies?
Then came the guilt. I would feel so guilty for destroying my diet, I would workout immediately after, hoping to burn a thousand calories more than the 800 I already burned that morning. I did this in hopes of canceling out my caloric feast. So think about it, how many calories was I really consuming? 200? 300? Maybe less? All in hopes that I would never in my life be as fat or as ugly as I once felt I was.
My junior year of college, almost seven years later, I'm finally not counting my calories. If I don't work out for a week? No biggie, I'll get back to it when I'm ready. I eat my meals out of serving bowls, and if I want ice cream every day, I eat it. Now don't let me fool you, my diet is vegan and gluten-free, so my food is all plant-based, even more so now than it was back then. But the major difference is that now, I'm full after every one of my meals. I no longer gorge, and I eat what I please. But it took me seven years to get to where I am today. Seven years to figure out a successful workout plan and diet that didn't leave me feeling lightheaded, guilty, or self-conscious. I now live a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, but because of what I have dealt with, I will never support quick diets.
Weight should not be lost quickly on a fad diet. I watch my friends starve themselves day after day because they're doing what they think is healthy for their bodies. I watch them obsess over their calories and their exercise because in the week they have been working out, they have lost 10 pounds. This mindset, these juice cleanses and the 300 calorie meals are all obsessive and unnecessary. Losing weight and being healthy isn't about the next three months, it's about the next 70 years. It's about finding a lifestyle that is fun, and sustainable and works for YOU. So instead of eating a whole pizza, eat a few slices and some fruit or veggies. Know you are a whole pint of ice cream kind of person like I am? Switch over to a healthy alternative like Halo Top.
These diets may help you look better on the scale, but trust me when I say that three months in, you will look in the mirror and be obsessing over what you see. Every bit of fat, every unwanted curve. You will hate and terrorize and hide under baggy sweatshirts and sweatpants. Losing weight is a lifestyle change, not a temporary juice fix.
