Recently I had the chance to be interviewed by Adam & Devon Bate for a podcast on The Lifestyle Accountability Show. The premise behind their podcast series is to share the stories of people who lead healthy lifestyles to help motivate and inspire others.
As a public relations pro and freelance writer, I am always the one doing the interviewing, so it definitely felt weird being the interviewee. But it was fun to share some of my story and put myself out there in a new way. You can check out the podcast here!
Ever go on a job interview or date or something and think later about what you could have said better? Well I am the queen of doing this!
I feel like during the podcast, a few of their questions put me on the spot, and later I looked back and thought of answers that were not only more interesting, but more significant to my life — and there’s one in particular that I want to chat about.
The question:
What would you say your biggest accomplishment has been in health and fitness?
My new answer:
I’m proud of how much my relationship with food has improved along my health and wellness journey.
Growing up, I wasn’t fat, but I wasn’t the skinny kid either. I remember thinking of food as “good” or “bad” and associating it with feelings of guilt. Some of the women in my family are very small people – 5 feet tall and 100 pounds – and I remember feeling embarrassed about being taller and bigger than them. I went through phases of eating very little, to binge eating, to only allowing myself dessert if I had done 2 hours of cardio that day. Being a girl in a society where weight is emphasized so much in the media and living in a fat-phobic environment can be confusing, especially when you love food.
Early in my adulthood, I realized that I love food, cooking, baking, and being in the kitchen experimenting, and I began to take on a new attitude about it. I came to the realization that food is fuel, that we are what we eat, and that I wanted to feed myself with both delicious and nutritious eats. Having grown up believing that peanut butter tasted great but was too high in fat to eat, I started to embrace foods high in monounsaturated fats like nut butters, olive oil, nuts and avocado, and somewhere along the lines, I began to embrace myself more as a woman in general.
No longer was I plagued by the idea that fat = evil. All in moderation was my new attitude, and that also applied to the not so good for you things I like to enjoy sometimes, like ice cream or a cupcake.
I think that any foodie living a healthy lifestyle can relate to this balancing act. Balance is not a destination; it’s not something we achieve and then just have down to a science. Finding balance
is a constant process of evolving with the current circumstances, of realizing that something that worked before isn’t working now, that experimenting with how we eat or workout or do anything really can be a good thing for us.
And so, I am definitely not saying that I’m perfect, that I have all of the answers when it comes to living
healthily. Sometimes I drink too much wine, eat too many cookies, or ignore my body telling me a rest day is order instead of a hardcore gym session. But what I am saying is that I’ve come a hell of a way in finding that balance.
Has your relationship with food evolved?
What’s your greatest accomplishment in your health journey?
Ali says
Well said Nicole!! I really enjoyed listening to your podcast. It was great!
foodielovesfitness says
Thank you so much, Ali!
Calista says
Oooh, I’m listening now! I love your new answer. I’ve had the same mentality towards peanut butter as well. Your podcast and story really resonate with me right now since I’m doing an intuitive eating challenge and it really focuses on healing my relationship with food. I grew up with some of the same mentalities towards food as you did, and it’s been an adventure to change my mentality toward dessert, avocados, peanut butter.
Thank you for your inspiration!
foodielovesfitness says
Thank you, Calista!
Interesting! Intuitive eating is a lot harder than it sounds. It’s also hard to overcome mentalities about food that we grew up with, but it can be done. 🙂
FitBritt@MyOwnBalance says
So well said Nicole! My relationship with food has definitely changed over time from deprivation to eating whatever I wanted to low cal/low fat. I feel like I’m in a better place now and able to make better decisions. I also don’t feel bad about indulging because what’s life without some fun?
foodielovesfitness says
Agreed! I certainly enjoy indulging too! It’s so nice to hear about other bloggers like you having similar journeys with food.
Paula says
Great podcast!!
foodielovesfitness says
Thanks for listening!
Davida @ The Healthy Maven says
Excited to listen! Yes, my relationship with food has evolved. First from an exclusively oreo and chicken fingers diet, then to 100 calorie packs and salads, then to REAL FOOD made from REAL INGREDIENTS and now finally to everything in moderation 🙂
foodielovesfitness says
Oreo and chicken finger diet haha… I love your all in moderation mentality!
Paige@FitNotFad says
I did the show too and it was fun but I definitely agree about being put on the spot and thinking of a better answer later 🙂 Your podcast sounded great though! A few other bloggers that I know did the show and I think it’s so weird/funny in a good way to actually hear everyone’s voices! I’m used to just reading your words on the screen 🙂 I can identify with the balancing act!
foodielovesfitness says
Oooh I’ll have to listen to your podcast! I couldn’t agree more… I was thinking about how funny it was to hear Davida @ The Healthy Maven’s podcast for that very reason. I guess that we are just so used to reading each other’s blogs!