GLOW UP!

how to lose weight (kinda)

how to really eat healthy and stop with those dumb diets ( and why you are perfect the way you are)

please don't see eating healthy as a way of losing weight or to look like your role model. that is the wrong way! the right reason why you want to eat healthy is because you want to feel your very best, you want to nourish your body and you want to feel energized.

-first things first: everyone's body looks different. that's just a fact. we could all eat the same things and we would still have different body types.
having the perfect weight looks different for everyone. some people are just naturally really skinny. some people are naturally curvy. and that is okay. don't force yourself to look like somebody else if that's simply not your body type. health is more important than being super skinny.

- when you eat a healthy diet you will automatically lose weight - but in a healthy way! stop dieting and counting calories - you can't give your best if your body doesn't get enough food: food is your friend not your enemy. and did you know that if your body only gets a small amount of calories per day you can actually gain weight because you body tries to save everything for 'bad times'? ( your body isn't stupid - it knows it isn't nourished well)

now to eating healthier:

- it'll get easier with time : i used to love eating chips, i could literally eat two packages at once. but then i stopped completely and didn't touch crisps for a few months and voilà: at the end of those 4 months i didn't want to eat crisps anymore. my cravings shifted completely and now the things i crave are (mostly) healthy snacks:
it's not because i feel guilty for eating unhealthy foods ( that's also not the reason why i stopped in the first place) it's just that i don't feel good after eating them: i feel kind of uneasy (phyiscal) and i also don't have a lot of energy - so why not choose foods that make me feel energized afterwards?

it can be hard to stop eating unhealthy foods and start to eat more wholesome. here are my tips:

a) be prepared:
a lot of the times we choose 'unhealthy' alternatives is when we're hungry and have nothing else on hand. it's convenient to just grab a pack of crips for lunch or eat a candy bar as a snack.
so my first tip would be to have a variety of healthy snacks at hand. those could be dried fruits, protein bars, nuts and seed mix, granola, fresh fruits or veggies (maybe with a hummus dip) and it will make your life so much easier.
my second tip is to meal prep. when you know you are too busy to cook everyday just cook on advance. try to cook whole grains, roast veggies, make sauces on the weekends so they last you the entire week. from there on you can easily build salads, grain bowls, pasta dishes with minimal effort.

b) the best tip is not to buy unhealthy snacks so you're not tempted to eat them. when i know there's candy in the kitchen cupboard you know i'll eat it! but of course, when you live with your family that's not possible. but maybe they can store it in a separate place (like a box for example) so you don't see it first thing when opening the cupboard.

c) see it as a life style, not a diet to lose weight. eat healthy foods for their health benefits, the nutrients, the taste and not because they may have less calories. that's not what healthy means.

d) upgrade your cooking skills. if you don't like vegetables it's probably because you haven't eaten them the right way. there are endless methods on how to cook your veggies.
+ you can eat them raw, steamed,
roasted in the oven, in currys, in
soups, grilled, in a stir fry, made in
an air fryer, in a yummy sauce, etc. -
say bye to mushy, overcooked and
tasteless vegetables!
+ don't forget seasoning! there are so
many delicious spices you can use,
why only use salt or lemon juice
when there's so much more?
+ there's always a healthier
alternative to your favourite dishes:
cauliflower wings instead of chicken
wings from mc donalds, wholegrain
pasta with tomato sauce, pizza with
veggies, a delicious sauce and
cashew 'cheese'.. you don't have to
restrict yourself. just because you
want to eat healthy doesn't mean
your food shouldn't taste amazing.

e) make sure you eat enough!
when you start eating healthier you
may feel hungry all the time. that's
because healthier foods often have
less calories than processed foods.
especially when you eat
predominantly plant based you
have to eat more food in total to get
enough calories. (since vegetables,
legumes etc. have less calories than
animal products) it's important to
eat enough: if you start restricting
yourself you'll just snack all
throughout the day and search for
food.

my last tip: look for motivation online. there are plenty of youtubers who live a healthy life and also share their way of eating. that can be a great inspo. but please be careful that you are inspired by the right people: don't follow people who eat way too little food, restrict themselves or make you feel uncomfortable about your own body!
some people i really recommend and who still inspire me are @/sweetpotatosoul , @/ pick up limes, @/rainbow plant life, @/erin rutherford, @/hitomi mochizuki, @/healthy crazy cool, @/the plant based princess and @/veggiekins!