Have you ever felt like you were GAINING weight after exercising like a mad woman? I certainly have. In fact, I felt that way a few weeks ago and was downright frustrated. I was forcing myself to work out 5 or 6 days a week, doing cardio, yoga, and weight training. I developed the mentality that in turn I could "eat whatever I wanted." I realized after about six months of working out like this that I put on about ten pounds. True, some of that could have been muscle, but I have a feeling I was simply taking in too many calories each day. Perhaps my crazy workouts were increasing my appetite. Perhaps I was trying to fill a void with the extra exercise and extra food. Perhaps I was just eating too much of what my boyfriend eats. Whatever the case may be, I was annoyed to learn that I was putting so much time into my fitness routine and that it was not giving me the desired results.
This is when I changed my goal from "workout as much as possible," to "make my diet 80% fruits and veggies." I know deep down that fresh whole plant foods are the quickest and healthiest way to achieve my ideal body. But as a foodie, I love all things edible. I figured I can heed Bethenny Frankel's advice and "taste everything but eat nothing," when it comes to my other 20%. I've been on this plan for about a week now, and I'm thrilled with the results. I can tell my stomach is flatter already, and I have a lot less guilt about what I've eaten because I've been really good to my body and mind. My workout anxiety has diminished basically diminished and I've been doing only yoga for the past week. I don't particularly like running anyway. I get enough exercise walking around downtown Cleveland and playing the occasional game of tennis. This once again comfirms the Holiday Honey theory that the way you look is 80% related to your diet and 20% everything else. I'm starting to notice this 80/20 rule pop up all over :)
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