Health

5 Women Get Surprisingly Frank About Why They Stopped Dieting

Heed their caution

by Lindsay Tigar | COMMENT

PHOTO 2/6

"Becoming a mom was more important than being perfect." Though fitness professional Sara Lynn Baker never suffered from an official eating disorder diagnosis, she said she's had an unhealthy relationship with food from the time she was in junior high. Throughout high school, college and even into her late 20s, she wasted much time and energy obsessing and feeling guilt and shame around food. From supplements and plans to exercise programs and beyond, she was always seeking to lose those extra pounds. But it wasn't until she decided to start growing her family and struggled with infertility that she realized how important it was to be healthy, not just skinny.

"The day I found out I was pregnant, I knew that I was going to have to think about my body and food differently. The goals of my nutrition plan and exercise could not be to get smaller and leaner, as now I was feeding and nourishing another soul," she shared. During her first pregnancy, she explained she ate healthy the majority of the time, but it was mentally challenging, as she subconsciously worried about the calories.

"Though I tried to be rather strict after my first baby was born so I could lose the weight fast, I started to realize that I did not have the mental energy to focus on dieting all the time. I was a new mom and returning to work after a few months. I had no space in my head to obsess," she said. "Yet, it was not until after my second child, that I really, really let go. I had two children and even less time."

These days, as a happy, loving mom of two, she feels liberated from these anxieties. "The amount of mental energy I have now for other areas of my life is incredible. Though healthy food is still very important to me, it does not take up nearly as much time and energy as it used to. I can attend social events without anxiety around food, I can enjoy foods I deemed off limits for so long without being ridden with guilt or feeling the need to burn it off the next day," she said.

Image via Sara Lynn Baker

SEE NEXT PAGE: "I found a passion that prioritized strong over thin."

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