YOU started first diet and lost 16/ pounds

 

✋Why do we think it’s okay to comment on each others’ bodies in the first place?

Ask a random sampling of folks whether they'd like to get a leaner body, and we'd bet most would say yes. Having lean, toned muscles is not only a desirable look, it also comes with benefits like increased strength, better bone density, and faster metabolism.

© Provided by Eat This, Not That! eating dinner

You may assume that toning up your muscles, Olympian-style, involves dietary gymnastics like following a pre-set meal plan to the letter or loading up on expensive shakes. But the truth is, to get a body that's a lean, mean muscle machine, you don't have to jump on any diet bandwagons. We're not saying you won't have to make any changes to your intake to get ripped, but trendy diets—we're lookin' at you, keto, Paleo, carnivore diet, etc.—aren't the only route to a toned, bodybuilder-esque physique.

that's high in protein and moderate in healthy fats and complex carbs gets results. How you arrive at this balance of these three macronutrients is up to you (whether you call it Paleo, a bodybuilder diet, or just "regular Joe's get-fit meal plan").

RELATED: Get even more healthy tips straight to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter!

So what does this macronutrient breakdown look like in real life? For starters, you'll want to take a good, hard look at your protein intake. The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight—but this level is set merely for the maintenance of basic health, not for muscle building. Research suggests that to create leaner muscle mass, it's best to target your protein intake at anywhere from 1.6 to 3.1 grams per kilogram of body weight. This should land you with about 20% to 35% of your daily calories from protein. Good protein choices include lean meats like beef or pork tenderloin, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, and soy foods.

As for fats, they're not your enemy! A study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that most bodybuilders responded best to a diet that included 15% to 30% of total calories from fat.

I was 13 when I started my first diet and lost 16 pounds. One day, a close friend greeted me by asking if I’d lost weight. I grinned, happy that someone noticed I was getting smaller after months of miserable calorie-counting and turning down candy at sleepovers. Then she pointed to a picture of me, pre-weight loss. “I was worried about you there," she said. "You were getting fat.”

My initial swell of confidence immediately came crashing down: Her comment made me wonder, What had she thought of me before? The realization that she had been taking note of (and judging) my size surprised and hurt me. Even now, 20 years later, being asked about my weight still sends me on an emotional rollercoaster.

Many of us think — either consciously or not — that "have you lost weight?" is a compliment, and the recipient may even experience it as such in the moment. But the truth is, even a well-meaning question around weight can trigger a multitude of short-term and long-lasting effects, from negative body image to disordered eating.

Growing up, I bonded with friends over complaining about our bodies and comparing ourselves to each other. I’d make self-disparaging comments like, “Ugh, you’re so skinny, I wish my stomach looked like yours.” That’s because the way we talk about our bodies is a big part of how we’re socialized. Research shows that engaging in this kind of conversation makes women feel like they have something in common with each other, because society places so much value on our appearance, says Phillippa Diedrichs, a psychology professor at the University of Western England Bristol’s Centre for Appearance Research.

This is thanks in part to diet culture, which tells us that thinness is the ultimate goal when it comes to beauty, success and happiness, a concept that is consistently supported by almost every societal pillar. This way of thinking promises that there is a skinny person inside of all of us just clawing to get out. Yet studies show that conversations about either exercise or weight loss made women more likely to focus on how their bodies looked rather than what their bodies could do, which led to lower body appreciation. It's no wonder the vast majority of us have complicated relationships with our bodies at best, constantly assessing and critiquing our