Live to Eat. Don't Eat to Live.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before but I am a chronic dieter. I think I've been on a diet since I've exited the womb. A bit dramatic, maybe, but that's how I feel. I can lose tons of weight in short spaces of time and actually keep it off for years. This usually calls for intermittent if not full blown starvation diets, weight loss pills, and laxatives. As a result, I've so screwed with my metabolism that I cannot lose weight unless my caloric intake is under 1000 calories. I can exercise daily and eat right (which I always do) but once I eat anything over 1100 calories, I'd be a top spinning in mud. 
That said, I've adjusted my eating habits recently and experienced a total of 20lbs lost. I still have 60 or so pounds to go until I'm considered the 'perfect weight' but after being a size four at one point in my life I am determined to never return to that size (no offense to those who are that size but I actually like my butt and hips and tend to lose them when I lose weight). 
I have a pretty sendentary type job where I am at a desk all day so even when I do workout it's never nearly enough in one go to give me the benefits that I want and therefore I decided to do what I know will work: work on what I consume and pretty much do it for the rest of my life as it has been the only proven way to lose and keep the weight off for me. I refuse to go under 1000 calories and will instead keep it at 1200. My meal plans are usually consisted of 3 meals and 2 snacks with 2 of those meals being (1) liquid and (2) protein. The snacks are often fruit, yogurt and nuts and one normal meal that consists usually of brown rice or sweet potato and vegetables with a protein. I've found that this is actually a LOT of food and isn't as restrictive as it sounds. I cut alcohol, sodas, juice and flour completely. And yes, I count every single thing I put in my mouth. This is a bit taxing which is why I incorporate the meal replacements. 
A word on detoxes*
I've tried various detoxes and cleanses before and the only thing that has worked for me is drinking coconut water along with a normal diet. It's the only detox type thing that I have done that has NOT caused any rebound weight whatsoever which is usually the case when doing diets such as the fruit and veggie juice fast and the master cleanse. They work for short term fixes but they mess with your metabolism, your organs and your thyroid and the regain is usually double what you've lost. Kudos to those who've done them as I believe it takes discipline to eat nothing for an extended period of time but unless you're planning to go raw vegan, I seriously wouldn't recommend it.
That said, I am all for clean eating. I have found this to be easy and enjoyable and a bit of fun to do.
If you are on instagram, you can catch a glimpse of the kind of meals that I prepare for lunch. Jinz83 is the name :)


And don't forget to leave you healthy eating tips below. Would love to hear what you guys do!