Have you ever noticed that you can be perfect for two weeks and lose 1 pound, and be bad on 1 day and gain 5? Umm yes it really is just that unfair. So how do people do it? You don’t see them as much anymore, and you probably write them off as some kinda genetic freak with all of that muscle and so little fat… but in reality they are people who have figured out how to have a healthy relationship with food and exercise. If you see a lean (not to be confused with skinny) person you can bet that they eat really well 95% of the time. And the more muscle they have the more chicken and potatoes they eat every day. So how do they do it? Do they just not like cake or what?!
In reality, these people have figured out how to think of food as a means of survival, not happiness. Yes, of course sugar/fat/salt combos taste delicious to them… and they most likely eat some kind of cheat every week, these days that’s only realistic. 
But 95% of the time they base their food choices on what their body wants and needs, and has very little to do making themselves instantly happy. Instead, they find their happiness in their body feeling their best, which is exactly what healthy food does. Healthy food helps provide them with the energy they need to do the things they love, easily and frequently. Their happiness comes from them choosing to be the best version of themselves. Just think about how much easier it would be to concentrate on your dreams if you weren’t too busy dreaming about your next meal.
They get their food organized so they can eat small amounts of healthy food throughout the day. Because they allow themselves to eat all the time, eating becomes more work than pleasure. And when you aren’t addicted to the taste of processed food, the healthy food actually tastes amazing. Because they have 95% of their meals prepped and committed to, they never have to feel guilty about going out with friends once or twice a week. Depending on how bad was bad, they work a little harder in the gym the next day to burn it off before it settles in their most problematic spot already. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it actually saves time by cutting out the guesswork of what to eat throughout the week. And the less you think about food in general, the less food controls you.
They also have their food organized a week at a time and never make an excuse for missing a meal. Do they count their calories? Probably not, but they are so in tuned with their bodies that they know by how they feel. I’m starting to get a little hungry = eat, I’m starting to feel full = stop eating. 
When they give in to the social stigma of partying around food they naturally moderate because they know they will feel bad if they eat too much. They naturally choose healthier meals because their bodies are sensitive to sugar, salt and fat and once again feel sick. They know their body feels great after any paleo based meal. They are addicted to feeling good and healthy like others are addicted to processed food. The problem with the processed food addiction is the happiness is only temporary… until the food is gone. Immediately after hits frustration, sadness and sickness. But the addiction to being healthy never has a “comedown.” You only feel mentally and physically better each time. There is no struggle, if they do eat it here and there it’s not a big deal, they just throw in some extra cardio and workout a little harder til they can feel the extra pound is off. They stop before it gets out of control because they know just how hard it is to get each cheat back off… and just how addicting junk food is. It only takes a second on the tongue for sugar to send a signal to your brain saying “must eat more.” They don’t like the struggle with food. Instead, they get their food organized so they only have to make decisions and cook once a week. They turn it into food as a method of need, not of want. They don’t get pleasure from food, in fact it ends up being a pain in the butt with how much you have to eat, all the time. When you have a healthy relationship with food, you honestly think eating is a pain in the ass, and that’s exactly how we want it to feel.s
Realize that dieting doesn’t work. Instead, take baby steps to eating cleaner. Instead of fast food, you’ll choose a sandwich and chips. Instead of chips and a sandwich, just a small sandwich. Then add in pita chips and hummus as a snack. Count out only a very small serving of chips with a decent amount of hummus that will actually fill you up. Once that starts to be a norm, you can start taking out the sandwiches and meal prepping. Instead of the pita chips you can change to carrots. Instead of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, just a banana with a serving of peanut butter. If you make the changes slow enough, you will never really revert back to the initial junk food because the new you will honestly be disgusted with the old decisions. Now, does that mean that eventually you will never enjoy a piece of cake? Oh hell no, but they see food from a different perspective–this cake is yummy but it makes me feel sick, it doesn’t fill me up and it’ll take me two days to lose the extra pounds.
by Kristen Cole, Owner, Skinny Without Struggle™