Lifestyle changes are hard.

Oftentimes you commit yourself to eating healthier, or working out more, only to see it crumble after a few weeks because you lose the willpower or drive.

I’ve been there, more times than I can remember. It’s an up and down struggle that I’ve battled with for the better part of my life, since high school. I’ve had stretches where I’ve been successful, but way too many where I’ve slipped into unhealthy habits that have left me feeling worse than before.

However, I think I’ve finally figured out a few things about health and fitness that have changed my life for the better, and I don’t see myself slipping again.

I bought a Fitbit over the winter break as an attempt to finally break my bad habits, and I’ve turned my health journey into a fun game that keeps me accountable and has given me results. I’ve learned a lot  about how the body works and the effect of food on your body versus how active you are.

At first, I was alarmed because, right away, I realized  my caloric intake was roughly 1,000 more than how much I burned in an average day, and it started making sense as to why I gained weight so easily.

Seeing this in numbers opened my eyes. It gave me a way of quantifying something that maybe I knew in the back of my head without the Fitbit, but now that I could keep track of everything, I had a new sense of accountability. I had a new drive to work hard and make sure I was burning more than I was putting in consistently.

It’s not a perfect system by any means, but it was a huge jump to have the mentality of outworking myself. If I worked harder in the gym or went on an extra walk to get more steps, I burned more calories. Burning more calories meant I could eat more calories, so if I wanted to eat a lot, I just had to will myself to be more active to justify some eating habits.

As a self-proclaimed foodie, maintaining a healthy diet has always been a struggle for me because I love food, and I love a lot of it. The key, I’ve discovered, is honoring the cravings I do have in moderation and not completely cutting off “bad” or “unhealthy” foods. Another important part is limiting your portion sizes a little, you’ll be surprised how much of a difference that can make.

For the most part, I try to incorporate a fruit or vegetable into every meal and start with those when eating to fill up quicker on the healthier stuff. It’s also good to incorporate some kind of protein into every meal, like some of the lower-calorie options, such as chicken, pork, fish or certain kinds of nuts to get that feeling of being full.

While most of my meals resemble something along the lines of what I mentioned above, there are usually one or two days a week where I will still get a high-calorie meal or something unhealthy because, well, life is about balance. It’s hard to go “cold-turkey” on old eating habits. So, get that pizza, that cupcake or those fries every once in a while, because you’ve probably earned it for eating well so many days in a row.

I realize that not everyone’s the same, but I wanted to share what worked for me. Quantifying my eating habits changed my view and gave me a better idea of how to manage.

What I want you to take away from this is: it’s okay to not eat healthy all the time. Satisfying cravings for desserts, fried goods or a soda every once in a while feels really rewarding, because you’ve earned it for working hard.

The biggest things I want readers to take away from this is to give yourself time. It’s a process, and if you stick with it you will see results slowly, but surely. Maintain those habits you are developing as best you can by having fun with it and challenging yourself in increments. You don’t have to eliminate everything immediately, but rather gradually, over time.

You will reach your goals. Stay confident and stick with the process. You got this.