How Has Healthy Eating Changed My Life
Just about a year and half ago, I lived a very different life. Being 5’7 in height, I only weighed about 112 LB.
Five years ago however, I only weighed 105 LB (see first photo- left). Starting a gym membership helped me put on 7 LB muscle weight. It was a good start. However, even since I started to gain muscle weight, I became even more conscious about weight gain.
Weight gain was my biggest fear, and had been for many years since I was 14. I weighed myself 4 times a day. Since I hit 112 LB, whenever the pointer of the scale titled a little bit to the right, I would start to restrict my calorie intake. Despite going to the gym regularly, I wouldn’t allow myself to indulge at all, even when I had cravings. In my mind, 112 LB should be the maximum weight for my height.
Most people thought I had a perfect body, but I felt miserable most of the time. The main reason for me to feel that way was lack of energy. Because I did not eat enough food from time to time, I constantly felt weak and tired, and had hard time concentrating on tasks. The worst thing was: the hunger made me feel sad and even angry inside.
After 3 years of starving myself, I finally couldn’t have it anymore. In the beginning of 2017, I decided to focus on being healthy. Essentially, one thing has to be done: alter the way I perceive beauty. At least, it helps me to eat without feeling guilty.
Let me explain a bit more on my new eating plan. My food choices for the past 3 years had been mainly fruit and vegetable. I ate in small portions, occasionally had meat, but cutting out carbohydrate items such as wheat, rice, and noodles to avoid weight gain. Since my body was fast at metabolizing sugary items, I fed it with chocolate when I was really hungry. After starting my healthy eating plan, I did not let myself go by munching on jrunk food with super high calories everyday but include all kinds of healthy food in my diet, including carbohydrate items and protein sources. Most importantly, I gave up calorie counting and started eating in normal portion (3 times of the portion I used to take). For each meal, I ate until I felt fulfilled.
When I started in February this year, I was still very cautious about food. My stomach was sensitive too. It seemed to slow down the digestion process so it wouldn’t have space for more food intake. After several months, digestion process started to wake up from sleeping for so long and it began to speed up to normal.
Meanwhile, I restarted my gym routine after stopping it for a year. The different was, I increased the intensity for my weight lifting. After a while, I noticed a 3 LB gain that bumped me up to 115 LB. After that, my weight stopped increasing and became steady for over 6 months.
I experienced a noticeable physical change. I grew muscles on my shoulders that gave me a leaner look on my limbs. Out of my expectation, 4 pack muscles started to show on my mid-session.
If I was correct, these physical changes took up the entire 3 LB. The food I had did not lead to ‘weight gain’ in a negative sense.
After a few months, I experienced a drastic energy increase. I used to feel fatigue all the time, and hard time concentrating. After the house boating trip in BC, I seemed to transform to a different person: I was able to stay energetic during the day, and was able to pay full attention in events I participated, or conversations with others.
I grew much happier too. My mindset also changed, shifting from being negative to being much positive. My self-confidence grew as a result.
My skin had improved so much since I started eating healthy. I used to always dream of having glowing skin with small-refined pores, firmness and nice complexion. I’m proud to say, I have the kind of glowing skin I’ve always wanted, and my skin has never been this good before. It makes hard for others to guess my real age as a result.
All these positive changes I made were all due to one thing: Healthy Eating.
Never did I realize the power of healthy eating. It healed me from the inside out.
Two years ago, I thought if I started eat more and include meat and carbohydrates, I could have gained a lot of weights. I turned out 3 LB was all I have put on, and it showed on my muscle and made me look much better.
If you've had eating disorder or anorexia for years and start to eat healthy food in normal portion, your weight won't change drastically or you won't become overweight again if you used to be. Especially if you have a proper workout routine, all you would gain would be muscle weight until you hit the minimum weight for your height. For me, the minimum weight for a 5'7 healthy female is 115 LB. Make sure you consult your doctor for minimum healthy weight.
If you are looking for a cure for your body and mind, start eating healthy today. It fuels you with energies and positivity; it improves your physical appearance of both body and skin; it shifts a fixed mindset to a growth one.
