Cosmo Says You're Fat, Well I Ain't Down With That

Apologies for my absence, it's been quite crazy lately! I've been thinking a lot about relationships, how they play into how we see ourselves, and how they can either pick up on our insecurities or put them to rest. As I've said before, I have a pretty strict diet. I probably eat clean anywhere from 80-100% of the time and any guy I've ever dated has known this. They've also been fully aware of the fact that I indulge occasionally on the weekends because I kill it during the week. Sadly, that hasn't stopped them from counting calories, the tans fat, the carbs or whatever it was that they were obsessed with counting. I'm a big believer in not trashing your body, but I also know stress is a killer and taking all enjoyment out of food, to the point where you crash and binge, is not a good thing either. 

It's funny because I've let this behavior get to me in the past, convinced myself that the reason things ended were because I wasn't good enough but the truth is I let them get to me and I lost myself in the process. Thankfully, it was one of the many sparks that lit the fire I've been running on for the last eight months. I work hard, my blood tests are all in the healthy range, I am seen by a functional medicine doctor every 3-6 months and am monitored closely. I have grown to love myself unconditionally, appreciate my body because it is unique to me and am truly the happiest I've ever been. Clearly what the media says and what some people around me say rolls right off of me these days. I work hard, harder than most people I know and I eat healthier than pretty much everyone I know. So I'm going to enjoy my occasional burger, pizza, pasta, what have you and I really could care less how many calories, grams of fat or whatever else we're worrying about is in there these days because I'm here to live life, not worry it away. 

That being said, today's food consumption included a green smoothie, salad for lunch, Kind bar for a snack and I'll have a bison burger with Brussels sprouts for dinner. I've had all my supplements, did a Himalayan Salt water flush and drank my teas.

Fat Is NOT A Choice.. At Least Not for Everyone

A lot of fit and skinny people seem to have this common misconception that fat is a choice, but for some of us, they could not be more wrong...

I am twenty nine years old, I am 5'2" and I currently weigh 159 pounds. I do some form of exercise almost every single day and I try to hit 5,000 steps per day (which I typically exceed). My diet consists mostly of fruits, veggies, seafood, meat, eggs, organic tea, and water and occasionally raw nuts, honey, decaffeinated coffee and either coconut or almond milk. If I indulge in something, it's only when I go out (which is very rare) and it's always gluten free, and usually dairy free if I can manage it. If I'm going to eat carbs or sugar, I try to consume it prior to noon, I eat a lot of salads, smoothies (packed with spinach, flax seed and fruit), I try to have protein at every meal and I try to eat 4-5 small meals per day. My exercise has been a combination of PiYo (Pilates + yoga), Focus T25 and lifting as of late, and I try to do one of these at least 5-6 days a week, if not squeezing in two per day if possible. On top of all of this, I also take Borage Oil, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Iron, DHEA, Ashwagandha, Fish Oil, Cinnamon, Probiotics and Magnesium every single day.

You're probably looking at this thinking, okay, she works out, quite a bit, she eats hardly any carbs, pretty much no processed foods and she doesn't skimp on calories so it's not like her body is going into starvation mode... she has to be lying about something. But I promise you, I'm not. And I'm not the only person who struggles with weight that goes through this same exact problem. This mystery is something I'm still working on with my doctor, who I see at least twice per year and she's just as stumped as I am. To prove my point that just because someone is a little curvy or packs on a few more pounds than they should does not mean that they are lazy, eat bad foods, are necessarily unhealthy and that it's a choice, I am going to try to post on here what I eat, what my steps were that day, what I did for exercise and if I took my supplements, and it starts today.

Here is how my day has played out so far, keep in mind I am currently doing a 10 Day cleanse:

1. Took all of my supplements + my Young Living Oils (Peppermint, Thieves, Lemon, Orange + Lime) + a tablespoon of coconut oil this morning
2. Drank Peach Detox Tea + Himalayan Salt Water this morning
3. Had a mid-morning Shake that consisted of Flax Seed, Water, Spinach, Blueberries, a banana and peaches.
4. Had another tea after my morning shake.
5. Had a juice that had beets, carrots, kale and ginger for a noon meal
6. I'll have 3 eggs and a cucumber here in a bit, preceded by a Himalayan Salt Water.
7. I'll probably have another tea before I leave.
8. Dinner will be some more of the shake I had for breakfast with maybe an egg
9. I'll do PiYo (Pilates + Yoga) for my workout tonight
10. I'll take another dose of Fish Oil + DHEA + Borage Oil before bed
11. By the time this day is over, I will probably have hit 7,000 + steps