The other day, Facebook reminded me of the picture on the left that’s from 2011. It was a day when I ran another marathon. This is me stretching pre-race.
I was pretty shocked for a second when I saw this… hard to believe I’ve ever even looked that way. But I did, many years! At the same time, I also had hypothalamic amenorrhea and I was severely overtrained.
Here's how I did it:
I ran so much, fasted a lot, ate mostly vegetables, fruit, oats and pasta but very little fat and barely any protein. I didn’t strength train at all.
There were things that were better back then then they are now: I was in a good running shape and fast (marathon PB 3:30) and I had no chronic back pain. Other than that – I can’t really say that anything else was better.
Now, on the right picture – yes I’m not a fast runner, I’m actually really slow. But we can’t have al the things all the time. I strength train, do a few runs here and there, lots of yoga too but I never obsess over my workouts the way I did back in 2011.
I’m much stronger physically, not to mention mentally!! My back doesn’t allow me to do everything I want (but the pain has nothing to do with weight gain) but I find my way around these limitations. I literally eat what I want and it never even crosses my mind to starve myself, run 2 hours on an empty stomach and “fuel” with 200 calories worth of oatmeal.
Don’t make yourself sick or obsessed trying to achieve that skinny/lean/muscular body.
1️⃣ It can be super unhealthy (eating disorders, no period, thyroid issues)
2️⃣ It doesn’t make you happy. I assure you that I’m much happier on the right because my mind and body are way healthier!
If you need help with hypothalamic amenorrhea or learning how to eat flexibly, mindfully and healthfully without dieting, I can help you.
We work on your behaviors around food and fitness, improve your body image and if needed, create your unique training plan that supports your health and wellness goals.
Get in touch here if you're ready to take the step towards food freedom and true physical and mental health.
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