yes i f*cking love bacon cheeseburgers

Yes, I said it: I f*cking LOVE BACON CHEESEBURGERS!!!!

In all my years of working as a fitness professional the primary thing that has hindered my clients' progress the most is their relationship with food. I have several beliefs when it comes to healthy eating.

I believe. . .
every nutrition plan isn't for everyone;
everyone has to find a healthy way of eating that he or she can maintain;
everyone is not meant to be "skinny";
everyone IS meant to be healthy.

For the average person, food should be enjoyed! Now if you are an athlete preparing for any level of competition, this article is not for you. Instead, I'm talking to the busy supermom, the techie who sits behind a desk all day, and the person whose life is so overwhelming that any form of eating healthy feels damn near impossible. It is for these individuals that I want to provide some general rules for eating healthier in pursuit of better quality of life. Remember, no one eats healthy all the time. If anyone tells you he or she never eats a cookie; has a few chips; or eats completely fat and carbohydrates free, he or she is a f*cking liar.

1) Eating healthy requires a lifestyle change.
Eating healthy has to become a part of your life, like breathing. The key is to make the best choice given the options in front of you, and you need to keep unhealthy options out of the house. If they aren't there, you will be less likely leave the house to go get them. A good rule of thumb is to prepare your lunch during the week and keep a "good snack" on hand for the weak moments. Most people's bodies tend to crave sugar and/or salt. Nuts instead of chips and fruit instead of cookies are good options. Designing a food plan is the first way to get regimented when it comes to your eating.

2) Cheat Days
You have to be disciplined before you allow yourself a cheat day.  Eliminate unhealthy snack foods during the week. Save your favorite cheat foods for one day during the weekend and only consume them in small quantities. However, if your goal is to reduce significant body fat and weight, ideally you should eliminate these foods all together for an extended period of time before you allow yourself that treat .

3) No-carb diets makes you  hungry and evil.
Just so we are clear, vegetables and fruit contain carbohydrates. You want carbs that contain vitamins and minerals and few carbs that contain added sugars and little nutritional value.When making the adjustment from processed carbs to healthier ones, you may experience withdraw, but keep your goals in mind and these feelings should pass after a few days.

4) Don't exercise to eat.
Don't eat junkie foods and say, "I'm gonna burn it off." When trying to change your body composition, you want to burn more calories than you consume, not break even. Keep in mind that liquid calories count. So be aware of your soda, juice, and alcohol consumption because it does add up.

5) Nothing beats water.
It flushes the body's excess sodium. Helps curb hunger, aides in keeping you skin clear, and helps flush fat through the blood stream. Water is essential for life. Soda, juice, tea, coffee and alcohol are liquids; they are not water. How much water one should have is still up for debate, but most experts agree that at least a half gallon a day is a good start.

6) If you can't maintain it, it it's not for you.
The weight you need to be is the one you can maintain without killing yourself, a weight where if you want an occasional cocktail or cheat meal, you enjoy your indulgence and don't feel guilty after. A healthy weight is one where you can stay within 5-7lbs of no matter what time of the month it is or what you ate in the past seven days. If you have to work out intensely for 3 hours a day most days of the week to maintain the weight you think you want to be, then that weight is probably not realistic or healthy for you. Being healthy is about having a complete balance between food, gym, and family .

7) Diet
I hate this word. We should eat to enhance our quality of life and eat to enhance our athletic performance. We want to eat a balanced diet so that we can avoid obesity, which contributes to high blood pressure, diabetes, and numerous other ailments. It took time to develop the bad habits and it going take just as much time to break them and develop new ones.

8) When you fall down, get back up: No one is perfect.
I repeat. . .no one is perfect. We all have days where we eat well, and then we all have days where we don't eat so great. The thing that separates average people from those that are great is their ability to recover from the bad days. When you have that bad day and fall off the healthy eating bandwagon, you have to get back on track, keep going, and not give up.

So like I said in the intro, "Yes, I f*cking love bacon cheeseburgers". . . just not everyday.