Confused?
Don't be :)
Conventional "western" diet culture can be incredibly confusing these days and equally overwhelming when it comes to choices in the foods that we eat. ( I have even made a podcast episode about this topic: https://open.spotify.com/episode/17MauCLg9Vbl9ZePzfhp0a?si=b24c3ed2fe9a4812 )
The truth is that when you are starting fresh out of the gate, completely new to a fasting lifestyle, the importance lies with the habit of fasting as a lifestyle tool instead of the obsession, restriction, or parameters of our food choices.
Of course, we can't expect to shed weight with constant poor food choices.
But if you were like I was before finding fasting, eating all day (3 meals a day, and constant snacking between meals) is the first pain point to work on, and the implementation of a fasting lifestyle will actually make it easier to improve on our food choices for the long-term.
We should enjoy what we are choosing to eat. Yes, even in dedicated weight loss efforts.
When you are in a lifestyle where fasting is a regular habit, you will very quickly realize that the quality fuel you are putting in your body, in your eating window, matters and should be something that is equally enjoyable AND good for you!
Use common sense!
In this lifestyle, many of us struggle with emotional eating, stress eating, eating out of boredom, etc. It can be hard to tap into what we think should be eaten. Again, overly restricting your food choices according to restrictive dieting trends is not only overwhelmingly confusing but also causes us to keep our negative inner self-dialogue.
What foods do you like eating that you feel good about? I call these foods ALL THE TIME FOODS. Inversely, foods that we sometimes feel guilty about indulging in, or don't fall within "diet culture" parameters, I call, SOMETIMES FOODS.
The truth is, I have consumed both types of foods on my journey. I have had moments of indulgence, celebration, and special occasions... and yet I am able to balance out those moments with my fasting lifestyle. You can too, and still, shed your excess body weight!
You CAN have your cake and eat it too, the key thing to remember is BALANCE, and again, using fasting as a lifestyle tool can help not only to shed the body excess weight but help to restore, repair, and inspire some great food choices, while balancing out our ever-changing lifestyles when celebratory or indulgent moments come along!
If you need supportive coaching on your journey with fasting as a lifestyle tool, food choices, etc, I can help.
As always, I truly believe in you, even if you don't. :)
-Vicki