I’m all about living a healthy and balanced life. If you feel good from within, it’ll reflect all over your life!
While some people like to count calories or track their macros for their health, personally I don’t count calories (even though I once did).
First of all I’d like to clarify I respect everyone’s individual approach to health. If counting calories or tracking your macros works for you that’s great!
However, when counting calories or tracking macros becomes an obsession, then it’s unhealthy.
That’s exactly what happened to me and hence why I don’t count calories anymore.
Why I Used to Count Calories
For most of my life I’ve struggled with self-confidence and loving myself.
I grew up seeing my mother try all sorts of diets and complain about her physical appearance. Obviously she never meant for that to affect me, however, it made me very self-conscious about my body.
This led to comparing myself to other girls and hoping and praying I’d have their body one day.
I wasn’t too familiar with eating healthy and absolutely hated exercising. It wasn’t until I developed an eating disorder and lost weight that I became obsessed with being skinny.
Disclaimer: my eating disorder never actually started because I wanted to be skinny. However, it was fueled by that desire to be thin and all the compliments I received about my physique.
When I “recovered” (an eating disorder is a mental illness that you never fully recover from, but rather learn how to manage) and went back to eating, I was terrified of gaining weight.
That’s when counting calories became my go-to.
I downloaded MyFitnessPal and would track every single meal I ate, all the way to even chewing gum.
I had no idea how many calories I was truly supposed to be eating, I just knew I wanted to eat less than 1,000 per day.
In my eyes, less than 1,000 calories would get me to my “dream body.” Yes, I know what you’re thinking and yes, I was very messed up.
Long story short, counting calories became an obsession. If I knew I was going to have sweets, I’d eat as little as possible throughout the day to “allow” myself that treat.
This went on for a while but luckily, while all of this was happening, I was going to therapy.
That’s how I moved on from this obsessive behavior and learned more about what triggers my eating disorder.
Why I Don’t Count Calories Anymore
Through therapy I learned to recognize my triggers and thus started making changes to my lifestyle.
I deleted MyFitnessPal and decided I’d never weigh myself unless it was at the doctor’s office.
This wasn’t a one-and-done thing, though. When I moved to the US for college I once again became obsessed with not gaining weight so I downloaded MyFitnessPal again.
However, after a few weeks I deleted the app and decided I did not want any more of that behavior.
My mental health and body confidence were not great throughout college and shortly after graduating, but luckily that’s when I found Tone It Up.
Through Tone It Up I learned to enjoy eating healthy not to be thin but to be healthy on the inside and outside.
I only followed the plan to a “T” for one challenge. After that, I decided to listen to my body and trust what it’s telling me.
If I eat something that upsets my stomach or makes me bloat, I remove it from my diet. Alternatively, if I eat something that sits well with me, I make sure to incorporate it more often.
That’s how I live my life now. I have no idea how many calories I eat during the day nor do I know how much I weigh and I am a-okay with that.
I’m still learning what works for my body but I prioritize eating clean, whole foods. This means lots of veggies, fruits, very little packaged foods and I try to eat foods with no added sugar.
Obviously it’s not always easy and it’s not the cheapest, but I find it very important to prioritize my health.
My stomach is very sensitive so eating healthy is a must for me to feel good and have enough energy to work out and get through my day.
I drink lots of water, tea to support digestion (ginger, turmeric, etc.), and take a daily probiotic to support my gut health.
If I want sweets I’ll have dairy-free ice cream or Hu chocolate (my absolute favorite). It’s all about finding healthier alternatives and not depriving yourself.
Intuitive eating is not something new. In fact, @sarahs_day and @shutthekaleup are huge proponents of it (and I’m huge fans of them). It’s all about finding and doing what works for you.
And I know intuitive eating is not easy, especially when we live in a diet-centric society.
Listening to my body and eating intuitively as opposed to counting calories is what works for me, but I encourage you to find what works best for you!
