6+ months of intuitive eating

so ~ starting in January I began intuitive eating and a month later i wrote a post about my struggles and successes with intuitive eating, but since I have been going for almost 7 full months now, I figured it was time for a follow up post. 

Struggles:  

 There have been MANY days where I've looked down at my stomach and been not pleased with myself. Especially because Facebook and Google like to remind me that I was 10-15 lbs lighter a year ago. 

I have thought about restarting dieting multiple times throughout this process because I know I could do it and diet my way back to the weight I was previously. 

but that's not the point of intuitive eating, it's supposed to be food freedom, not a weight loss gimmick. which is definitely a shift in reasoning from how I was eating before and it's something I'm working on changing my brain around on regularly. 

Honestly, most of my struggles with intuitive eating has been with my own body image and weight . Which is an ongoing struggle, and I don't think it's gonna be fixed in 6 months. And even when I'm doing well with this all the time, there will still be bad days. Body image isn't something that's fixed overnight. But I do think that I am starting to have slightly more good days than bad days. Which is something.

Successes:

Most of my experience with intuitive eating has been good though! i have really enjoyed the freedom around food that I've had. And to be frank, my eating didn't drastically change. I eat a lot of the same foods because I like those foods. 

But, i have also added more into my diet! I have tried new marinades, I've baked more, I will have hella carbs and not stress about it, and I enjoy eating foods that I used to feel guilty about. 

I know I'm eating more than I was a year ago, but I feel like I'm fueling my body better.  

I am SO much stronger than I was a couple years ago or a year ago or even 6 months ago. And that's largely due to my strength programming but I know a contributing factor is the fact that I'm not in a caloric deficit so I'm able to build muscle.  

And its really nice not too feel guilty around food. Some days that's not the case, but most days I can eat the foods that make me feel good even it has carbs or sugar or chocolate or fat or whatever.

Beyond the food things, I know I mentioned the weight gain but it hasn't been a huge gain. It does feel like it was a lot, but when I started onto this whole intuitive eating thing I was coming off an entire month of illness so I was at a lower weight than I had typically been, so it's about 8-9 lbs since then but probably only 3-4 lbs realistically. And I don't think I've gained much of anything over the past few months (though I haven't been weighing myself regularly to be sure). 

 Another great success I've had has been with figuring out my hunger a lot better. I'm slowly getting more comfortable with eating when I'm hungry and then actually stopping before I'm so stuffed I feel terrible and just stopping when I'm satisfied. 

So a lot of positive things coming from from intuitive eating, and honestly it gets better as I get more practice with it. 

honestly, if you're interested in trying out intuitive eating I would give it a shot. It's been a process and it's not easy but the benefits of intuitive eating are many and learning how to really fuel your body in the way your body wants & needs to be fueled. If you have questions and/ or need support feel free to reach out to me at my Facebook page, Instagram, or in the comments below! 

Cleanses & Detoxes are BULLSHIT

hi, i'm here to start a fight with literally anyone and everyone trying to sell you some FitTea or some sort of 3 day Power Cleanse or telling your drink cayenne lemon water to detox your liver or whatever bullshit someone is peddling you these days.

CLEANSES ARE TERRIBLE. THEY ARE TERRIBLE FOR YOU AND YOU SHOULD NOT DO THEM

look, I understand, they are tempting as heck. they tell you that you'll lose weight fast or you'll have more energy immediately or your skin will magically look flawless. with just a few days of "cleansing" your body... like these are big promises to solve big problems - and they are totally empty.

So here's the facts:

1. your body cleanses and detoxes itself.
   1. all your body's systems are essentially made to use the things that come into the body and expel the stuff it needs to get rid of.
   2. your liver filters the toxins from getting into your bloodstream (i.e., alcohol).
   3. your kidneys filter your blood to get rid of toxins through urine.
   4. your colon produces chemicals (good & bad) and gets them out through bowel movements.
   5. lungs are able to filter and eliminate chemicals that can enter your body via breathing. (clearly we have a good system going here)
   6. And if something with your body is not functioning properly - go to a doctor. don't do a juice cleanse and call it good.
2. idk what magic you think cayenne or lemon juice has, but I can assure you it isn't going to magically make your body function better.
   1. though consistently eating nutrient rich foods on a regular basis (fruits, veggies, etc) your body will function more efficiently but just drinking juice for a week isn't going to magically streamline your body's functions.
3. the original cleanse ("The Master Cleanse"  by Stanley Burroughs in the 1940s- the 12 glasses of lemon, cayenne, and maple syrup + a laxative) was NEVER confirmed through any research. though it boasts giving you more energy and general happiness... doing the master cleanse is no better than starving yourself. basically every cleanse claims the same things, and also have never been substantiated through science.
   1. like, yeah, you'll lose weight doing that. because you're not eating ANY FOOD (and possibly taking LAXATIVES). but as soon as you eat again you'll gain most of that right back.  it's not worth it.
4. They are legitimately scams.
   1. guess what costs lots of money? FitTeas, juice cleanes, soup cleanses, and the works. they are just expensive poops. that's it. fancy laxatives in fancy packages with fancy flavors.
   2. you can actually harm your body by doing cleanses. do you think that eating cayenne and juice  for a week is good for your body? it's not. you aren't intaking much, if any, of your daily nutrient and calorie needs. your body needs food to function.
   3. you can get the supposed benefits of the cleanses through adding natural fiber and diuretics into your diet on a regular basis. think apples, beans, avocado, lentils, asparagus, figs, carrots, tomatoes, oats, blueberries, WATER).

so PLEASE for the love of everything good in this world, stop doing detoxes and cleanses. stop giving people your money for no reason.

I know it sounds so nice and convenient and easy to "kickstart" your weight loss or to even lose 5 lbs in 5 days or get clear skin instantly or something... but these are not good for you at all. not in the short term, not in the long term.

eat foods that make your body feel good and move how you like to move and enjoy life and don't buy an expensive tea that makes you poop a lot. #lifetips

HOW TO: get out of a exercise routine rut

one of the biggest issues people come across when doing exercise is that they get bored. 

they get into the same routine, same workout circuit, same weights, etc., and then get tired of doing the workouts and stop making progress and stop enjoying the workouts... and then stop going to the gym and gotta start the whole process all over again. which sucks. 

but there is a way to keep enjoying your fitness routine... and it's so simple. it just takes a little bit of branching out. and that's usually why people don't think about doing it, cause honestly, changing your workout routine is a little bit intimidating. but here are some tips that may help you get started: 

• take classes at your gym

  • this doesn't have to be a forever commitment... but you can get lots of great new ideas from a trying out a new class. most gyms have so many classes you can try out, and at all hours, so you can fit it into your regular schedule and learn new exercises with guidance.

• grab a new piece of equipment

  • if you're always using just the machines or just dumbbells or whatever... pick up something new. use the TRX straps, kettlebells,or go for some bodyweight movements.changing the type of equipment can add a lot of fun to your workouts!

• change your circuit

  • if you're going one exercise at a time all the way through and then the next and next, with the same rests and reps... change it up- do some supersets, do a circuit, do an AMRAP, something to adjust the circuit.

• create new workout goals

  • figuring out some big scale goals or some mini goals that you can work to. having something to work to is always a great way to get more excited about your workouts and also can help you to figure out how to re-structure your workouts in order to achieve your goals

• use an app to get some new workout/workout routines

  • bodybuilding.com or sparkpeople or youtube workouts and there are a number of apps and websites  have full workout programs all at your disposal. 

• get a trainer

  • getting a trainer can help you do a lot of things! it can help you figure out more specific goals to work to, you can learn a bunch of new exercises and full routines, and you can get an entire new program laid out for you and you don't even have to think about it. (one of the many joys of having a trainer!) if you are in the market for a trainer... i am available for online and in person training!

you can catch me on instagram or facebook or send me an email at tiffnessfitness@gmail.com for any of your fitness questions, program building, or if you just wanna say hi! :)