The question I most frequently get asked is: “What do you eat to stay so thin?”
My response is typically: “I eat healthy, whole foods and plenty of them. And I don’t deprive myself of dessert.”
I’m guessing that answer is a bit vague to a lot of you.
However, there’s another important detail worth mentioning.
As another friend recently suggested: “Even if someone ate exactly as you did, it doesn’t mean they’d look the same as you.”
She’s right! Gwyneth Paltrow was featured on the Today show at one point to advocate a diet of whole foods, omitting processed foods, and allowing for the occasional dessert. Though I eat similarly, I certainly don’t have the 22-year-old buttocks she claims to have!
There are a variety factors that influence a person’s weight management, the most obvious being exercise/fitness. There are other important factors, too, including quality/quantity of sleep, stress level and life balance.
Just like everyone else, I have periods that are more stressful than others, weeks in which I get more or less sleep, days when I exercise like a maniac and others where I take it a little easier. The challenge is to maintain healthy patterns — especially ones pertaining to diet — even during times of duress.
I have always recommended a healthy living journal to track diet, exercise, sleep and other relevant factors. Recording habits and actions — either on paper or entered into a smartphone — can be an eye-opening experience.
In the past nine days, I have eaten lots of healthy, whole foods, integrating snacks throughout my day. Though I love sugar, I try to limit it. And I like my beer or glass of wine at the end of the day. Though I don’t count the ounces of water I consume, I drink a glass with every meal and have many more in between, especially in this heat.
If you want to see my diet for yourself, click my healthy living calendar for a week. I have included links to recipes, where applicable.
Enjoy!
