It is not about WHAT you eat, it is about HOW MUCH you eat.
Have you ever been confused as to why you aren't losing weight? You ate so healthy this week and worked out every day! It just doesn't make sense, right? WRONG. Health and weight loss are not the same thing. You can gain weight eating "healthy" foods and lose weight eating "unhealthy" foods. It is not about what you eat, it is about how much you eat.
When you are trying to eat in a caloric deficit to lose weight, eating a bowl of brown rice that has 300 calories over a mini snickers that has 45 calories is not always the best choice, considering that calories do matter when it comes to weight loss.
People have different definitions of healthy. I consider healthy as eating within a caloric range for whatever my current goals are, exercising regularly and taking in enough fiber and micro-nutrients. Some people get a little salty that I can eat a swig cookie everyday and consider myself to be a perfectly healthy individual. Some people consider "healthy" as eating vegan or vegetarian, while others think eating chicken breast for each meal is the secret to a six pack.
See the problem?
I completely understand why people get so confused and why so many people fall into fad diets. The health industry tries to make money and that's why they advertise weight loss coming from a pill, waist trainer or 21 day diet. I promise, if there was something you could put around your waist that made you skinny, you'd know about it by now.
This is how simple it all really is - You lose weight by eating less than you burn and you gain weight by eating more than you burn. Calories in vs calories out regardless of WHAT the calories are made up of.
We can and should STOP fearing food. Health and weight loss only go hand in hand when your mind is at peace. I don't care how much self control you think you have, you aren't eating chicken, broccoli and rice for every meal for the rest of your life. Eating "clean" is not an actual thing. I'm sorry but it's a hard truth. Unless you killed the chicken yourself and took it home, everything has to be processed to some extent to get into your kitchen. Do I think it's optimal to throw away your health when you are trying to lose weight? NO. However, fearing food and trying to diet by ONLY eating "healthy" food is going to lead to weight re-gain and mental illness, in most cases. Your food should be filled with fiber, micro nutrients and a combination of all three macros - protein, carbs and fats. Sugar is sourced through carbohydrates so the sugar itself has no caloric relationship. As long as you are eating within your caloric range for your current goal, sugar can not and will not make you fat or unhealthy. You need a sustainable lifestyle. Eliminating food groups is not sustainable, with the exception of vegans or vegetarians because in most cases that is a situation based on emotional and personal choices that are life long and have nothing to do with weight loss or body image. Society needs to change. If you've tried every yo-yo diet and simply cant seem to stay on track, please consider taking a new approach. Remember, if you want something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done. Fight for balance.
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