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Does the top photo look familiar? You try to "be good and eat healthy all day" only to have an all-out binge [3] that night because you feel so famished and deprived.
Meal-prep fanatic and fitness guru Amanda Meixner posted this comparison photo [4] to prove that you don't need to feel hungry all day long [5] in order to lose weight. Actually, restricting your calorie intake [6] and choice of food too much just tends to backfire. You end up consuming unhealthy foods you normally wouldn't and overeating hundreds of extra calories [7], which just leads to weight gain, not weight loss.
If your goal is weight loss [8], instead of being too restrictive, it's more effective to prep healthy meals and snacks for the day — it'll help keep hunger and cravings at bay so you don't inhale your entire kitchen at the end of the day. Plan out your daily calories so you know you're on track, and be sure to include lean protein, healthy fats, fibre, and complex carbs. Also incorporate a small treat each day [9] to quench your cravings and to help prevent binge eating later on.
If you do end up eating like the top photo, don't sweat it! Instead of beating yourself up for that one little slip-up [11] and letting that one meal turn into a week of unhealthy eating, just acknowledge it and move on. Tomorrow is a new day and a chance to make a fresh start on eating healthy [12].