You are what you eat

This week, we’re talking about the basics of a balanced diet. It sometimes feels like there are a thousand rules about how to eat, and somehow most of them contradict each other. So what does balanced eating actually look like in real life? Ami and Lydia talk through simple ideas, what they personally aim for, and why gummy bears and ice cream are still part of the discussion.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Welcome back, A students. On the microphone, you got Amy and Lydio. Woo-woo! We're back with another episode of This Will Be on the Test. This is the podcast where we give life advice. We have no business handing out. So, students, you know the drill. Grab a notebook and a pen because this will be on the test. Today we're talking about the basics of a balanced diet.

SPEAKER_02 0:44

Would you rather be able to eat any sugary food or any salty food with no health consequences?

SPEAKER_01 0:54

Okay, see, I wrote that I wrote down this question because between Domaney and I, this is like a huge point of discussion, not a huge point of discussion, but he is full-on like salty foods. And he would rather I think he would rather completely uh how do you say give up sweet foods if he could eat salty foods with no consequences. Okay. I don't think I'm that person. I really like chocolate. I really like gummy bears. I have a pack of twisters in front of me right now, which is a bit dangerous. I think I would rather have sweet foods not have any consequences, even though I think the salty one would make more sense.

SPEAKER_02 1:40

No consequences? Does that mean like the calories don't count?

SPEAKER_01 1:45

And like the health benefits. Like no, okay. So like if if you pick salty, then if you have high cholesterol, okay, you can still eat bacon.

SPEAKER_02 1:55

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

Basically.

SPEAKER_02 1:57

But like eating a salad is still good for you, or is that then like eating a salad on your salad?

SPEAKER_01 2:02

So is eating bacon.

SPEAKER_02 2:03

Okay. Ooh. Or like for dinner.

SPEAKER_01 2:07

Exactly. For dinner, you could be like, okay, I'm gonna have some ice cream, and it's like that's fine.

SPEAKER_02 2:12

I'm trying to like math this out in my head.

SPEAKER_01 2:15

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 2:16

Cause I do eat more salty food. Yeah, same. That's why I'm torn. So I could always eat pizza, lasagna, hamburgers, yeah, and have that be healthy, and still have the desserts be unhealthy because after a while, like sweet foods. They're not as good. They're not as good. Like they give you a stomachache. And I guess you wouldn't have that, but they're bad for your teeth, which I guess again you wouldn't have.

SPEAKER_01 2:41

But I think you can eat more salty shit.

SPEAKER_02 2:45

Yeah, I think I would have picked sweet, like from an initial gut feeling. Um we're here over Thursday again. Oh yeah. Don't worry, we'll be back. Um, because I really like sugary foods, obviously. Same. Um, but I think salty foods makes more sense because everybody's asking, like, why are they making this episode?

SPEAKER_01 3:08

They clearly don't know anything about a felon's diet.

SPEAKER_02 3:12

Anyway, I'm just here to learn. Um because then I can justify having ice cream after dinner. Because like, if you have pizza, it's very not very hard. Not for me. It's not hard to like justify having the ice cream, but if I have pizza and I'm like, well, this is just as healthy as a salad, then might as well have an ice cream afterwards. Yeah. Then I can like that's a fair point.

SPEAKER_01 3:37

I think I'm gonna switch to salty also.

SPEAKER_02 3:39

That's so convincing.

SPEAKER_01 3:40

You're so convincing. Oh my god. Oh my god. You should be like an onboarding specialist.

SPEAKER_02 3:47

That is I don't think it has much to do with convincing unless I try to get like up people on the have you seen this feature?

SPEAKER_01 3:56

Uh okay. So we book up for salty. Yes. Would you rather follow a very strict diet or have to eat whatever is magically in your fridge in the morning? With both of these, you don't have to pay for your food. That's amazing. Because when I was writing a question, I was like, well, obviously they're magically in your fridge, because then you don't have to pay for it. But both of these you have to pay for.

SPEAKER_02 4:16

Both is free.

SPEAKER_01 4:18

No, free, sorry. Both is food. Okay. Oh but it could be that one morning it's a frat boy's fridge, and it's like ketchup beer and maybe an expired something.

SPEAKER_02 4:30

But you don't have to finish what's in your fridge, like I don't have to finish a tub of ketchup.

SPEAKER_01 4:37

Eat whatever is magically in your fridge.

SPEAKER_02 4:39

But like no frat boy sees ketchup and was like, that's what I'm eating today. You know?

SPEAKER_01 4:45

Yeah. Okay. Yeah, no, you don't have to empty the whole fridge in that scenario.

SPEAKER_02 4:50

But it could be like cow tongue.

SPEAKER_01 4:51

Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 4:53

Okay. How strict is this strict diet? Like, what are we talking?

SPEAKER_01 4:57

We're talking uh Victoria's Secret model in the 2000s.

SPEAKER_02 5:03

Oh god.

SPEAKER_01 5:04

But no. Like that's the most strict that I can imagine somebody having a diet.

SPEAKER_02 5:08

I I honestly believe that I would be an absolute bitch if I had to eat a diet like that. Like I get so insanely hangry. Not saying I'm not a big cover that's gonna make a cowboy or like such a dick. Because that would be so different from now. No, now I'm well fed and I'm still the twin. Can you imagine me on less calories? No, same. Like I I is the food cooked in my fridge or is it wrong? No. Oh shit. I thought like I definitely picked that up.

SPEAKER_01 5:41

Well, you have like all varieties. So how I imagine it, one day it's maybe a frat boy's fridge, the next day it's like those TikTok moms. Yeah. One of their fridges, and then the next day it's like your average Joe's fridge. So but just it can vary. Might be empty one day. I mean because it's a store fridge. Could be.

SPEAKER_02 6:00

Yeah. I I I would still pick that one. I don't do well on diets.

SPEAKER_01 6:08

But I honestly I think I would pick the diet because I don't do well with not knowing. Like I s I eat very similar. My diet looks the same almost. Like breakfast is exactly the same every day. And lunch and different lunch and different lunch and dinner are different, but it's not super different. Like I like having similar meals all the time, meals that I can trust, kind of thing. And so I feel like in the diet I would have that.

SPEAKER_02 6:44

Yeah, that does make sense. I just think like if I was on a very strict diet, like the one you said, I couldn't work out the way I want to. Not that I could with everything like with the stuff magically in my fridge, but but they work out intensely, no?

SPEAKER_01 7:00

These Victoria's Secrets.

SPEAKER_02 7:01

Yeah, but they have like different mental fortitude. Because if I don't eat, I'm not like, you know what I want to do, go for a run.

SPEAKER_01 7:08

Yeah, that's very fair.

SPEAKER_02 7:09

I go very, very strong in the energy saver mode. Um I think I I agree with you. I don't I mean, I don't want either of these, but I really don't think I would do well on a very strict diet. And yeah. That would just be uh sad.

SPEAKER_01 7:31

It would be sad.

SPEAKER_02 7:32

Both of these would be sad.

SPEAKER_01 7:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:34

I don't like this question at all.

SPEAKER_01 7:37

Do you know the Billy Eilish song? And there's one line like if uh if teardrops could fill bottles, there'd be swimming pools filled by models. Do you know the line? No, but that's poetic. That is very um, I agree with that. I think models are modeling is a very intense profession.

SPEAKER_02 8:01

Yeah. It's so difficult to have people just judge you for your looks and then also assume that you're less intelligent because you're beautiful. I feel like anyway. Last question. Uh I feel like this question is more interesting. Yeah. Would you rather be gluten intolerant or lactose intolerant?

SPEAKER_01 8:22

Okay. This is a very tough question.

SPEAKER_02 8:24

I just discussed this the other day with Tarek. You did? Yeah. I don't remember why we were discussing it, but I was very quick to answer.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

You were very let me think about it. What would you answer? You would rather be lactose intolerant, I think. Because I think you could you could give up milk easily, and cheeses you kind of like the vegan cheese is like they're okay. Am I right? I want to hear your answer first. Okay. I am I would cry. Either way, I'm just sad. Um, there was like a few months where I thought it was lactose and no gluten intolerant. Turns out I had endometriosis, um, which is also fun. Um my god, they're both so sad. I feel like with lactose, no, no, with gluten intolerance, there's a lot of substitutes substitutes. Substitutes. Which are fine. Like you can have gluten-free flour and all that stuff. I think I'd have to go with that one. Okay. What about you?

SPEAKER_02 9:36

So you would give up gluten.

SPEAKER_01 9:39

I just started making sourdough bread. I'm really enjoying myself. Is there lactose in cottage cheese? Yes.

unknown 9:53

Fuck.

SPEAKER_02 9:54

I'm like 90 minutes.

SPEAKER_01 9:55

My breakfast every morning is a piece of bread and cottage cheese. I don't know. Um okay, my instinct is saying give up uh gluten.

SPEAKER_00 10:10

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 10:11

But I don't know. Interesting. You would give up lactose? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:15

And I have a very good- Which is what I guessed, no? Yeah, you did. You guessed exactly my reasons, actually. I have a very good reason for it. Uh-huh. There are pills to like help you digest lactose. I don't know if there's anything to help you digest meat. So if you're lactose intolerant, that doesn't mean you can never eat cheese or anything again. It just means you have to strongly avoid it, depending on like the level. But I know a lot of people who are lactose intolerant who still on occasion eat cheese. Eat cheese or eat a yogurt or something. They just have to take the pills. I do think uh when I think of lactose, I don't always think of butter, which is in so many things, and that would be tough. Uh and gluten and lactose just go together so well. So oh my god, do they ever give up either of them?

SPEAKER_01 11:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:03

But I love bread.

SPEAKER_01 11:06

I love bread.

SPEAKER_02 11:07

I yeah, I'll just send it there. Okay. Well, let's move on.

SPEAKER_01 11:17

So, um, I would say we both came from a very health conscious family. And our parents, we lived in the US for a while, and there our mom was like very adamant about buying food from like the healthy stores, even when we weren't like when they weren't making a lot of money, she would like spend the money that they had on healthy foods, which is a bit of a uh challenge in the US. I mean, here in Switzerland you can go to any grocery store and there will be healthy food there, but in the US that's not so much the case. So we kind of had that base, I feel like.

SPEAKER_03 11:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

Um, and then when I was a kid, I just did a lot of sports, and I was always like, I spent all my time in the barns and everything, so I was just always on the go, and then I never thought about what I ate. I just kind of ate what was home, what what we had at home, but that was healthy food usually. Um, and then I was horseback riding as a kid, and then I stopped doing that as intensely when I was like 16, and then I honestly got concerned that I would get fat. So I start I tried out like a few diets and stuff, and I would work out, do like workout videos, and none of the diets were ever really fun. I was just always really annoyed.

SPEAKER_02 12:29

Um and yet still you pick the strict diet.

SPEAKER_01 12:32

Yeah, true. Anyway, um but then as you guys know, if you listen to the period episode, I was diagnosed with endometriosis when I was like 19 or 20, something like that. And like there's no cure for it, but all of the um all of the recommendations you see is like to eat a healthy, balanced diet, and so I kept on like getting informed of what that would look like. Um and so that's how I kind of got into it, and then I realized, oh, if I eat healthy, I feel good, my stomach cramps less, and that's yeah, kind of why I started to eat healthy.

SPEAKER_02 13:12

Okay. Um I grew up the same as Lydia. We are a sister, so I also grew up with our uh no, but it was actually I think it was a little unusual for like how many home cooked meals and everything we got while living in the US. Um, I do now really enjoy, I mean, I've always enjoyed eating a really balanced diet, and I realize when I don't eat well that like it affects my body and mental health. Um, but I think for me that also includes not going over the top with trying to eat something super healthy that I don't enjoy, uh, but also not like saying, Oh, I can't have that because it has too many calories. Um, and I think that probably comes from like I did do a lot of diets. I tried some other very stupid things to lose weight because I was heavier as a teenager. Um and it took a while for me to figure out what a balanced diet meant for me, and I still sometimes struggle when I see like these health trends. Yeah. Like, is that what is that how I'm supposed to be eating? Like, am I eating incorrectly?

SPEAKER_01 14:19

But then we were just talking about this before we started recording, like the all these videos of what you should be eating, and then one thing is like you have to eat berries with every serving. The berries are so expensive.

SPEAKER_02 14:31

Berries are so expensive, and it's not always seasonal, like that's also not great for the environment.

SPEAKER_00 14:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:35

Um, at least here in Switzerland. So, yeah. I also realized like I would lose weight when I went on diets, but then you can't like the diets are they're not meant to be maintained for the rest of your life.

SPEAKER_01 14:50

No, I think if anything, diets are really cool to see to take certain aspects out of it. So, like, I did um intermittent fasting, and that was not my thing, but what I did take from it is that I feel better if I don't eat later than 8 p.m.

SPEAKER_00 15:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:07

And then I fall asleep easier. Yeah, and so I still do that, yeah, even though I don't do intermittent fasting.

SPEAKER_02 15:13

Yes, and I do think there are diets that can help teach certain things. Exactly. Also, like portion control, I think is a really big thing. Um, and a diet helped me learn portion control, but I wouldn't go back on that diet now because I feel like I've learned it for myself. Yeah. And that diet is too restricting.

SPEAKER_01 15:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:33

Too restrictive. Um, so yeah, that's kind of my thoughts on balanced diets.

SPEAKER_01 15:39

Okay. Um, before we start, like on the the main part, I thought it would be fun to ask AI what like what the basics of a balanced diet are. I think most people know this, but um, in short, it said eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, choose whole grains, include lean or plant-based proteins, have dairy or fortified alternatives, add healthy fats like nut seeds and olive oil, drink enough water, limit sugar, salts, and highly processed foods, and the key is variety, moderation, and balance over time. And when I saw all of this, I was like, okay, cool. But then what does that actually mean on a day-to-day? And like, kind of, is this even realistic? So Amy and I, or Amy wrote down some questions for us to go through. We have some exciting news. You can become an official ACE student for as little as$3 a month. You can support the podcast, and you get early access to our shows, which means you can listen in on Tuesday instead of Thursday.

unknown 16:43

Woo woo!

SPEAKER_01 16:45

Also, we will give you a special shout out in the accent of your choice. And if you don't choose an accent, we'll choose one for you.

SPEAKER_02 16:54

I just think it's interesting to ask people different questions about a balanced diet because I feel like technically everyone knows what belongs in a healthy diet and what doesn't. Like, you know, maybe soda is not part of a healthy diet, but depending on who you are, it can be part of a balanced diet, which I think is important. So, what does a healthy diet look like for you, Lydia?

SPEAKER_01 17:17

Um I think something that you can maintain over a longer time and like figuring out what that is for you. For me, I realized that if I restrict myself from anything, that makes me want it even more. And so I try not to restrict myself, but more to like set up little rules. So what I started was you know the glucose trend, the glucose goddess book. Yes. Okay, so there's this book, I can't remember her name. Um, but maybe we can add it in the link, show notes. Um, it's the glucose trick, and basically, uh, if you eat glucose on an empty stomach, your sugar will spike, and that's worse for your like your hunger levels, because then a few hours later later it'll crash and you'll be super hungry, and then you'll eat, and then it's like this whole um vicious cycle. Roller coaster. Roller coaster. And so I realize that if I don't say I'm not allowed to eat sweets, but I should try to eat sweets not on an empty stomach, that I end up eating less anyway because I'm full by the time. Yeah. So I think for me, a healthy this is a long answer for this question, but this is not getting to the point. I think a healthy diet is something that makes you feel good that you can keep up consistently. Okay, what I'm trying to say with it.

SPEAKER_02 18:48

Cool.

SPEAKER_01 18:49

Um What about you?

SPEAKER_02 18:50

I do agree with certain points. I've also, just to the glucose point, um uh Rex read a book and he said if you eat vegetables at like the start of your meal, those are the things that your stomach has a longer time to digest, so they kind of are like at the bottom of your stomach, so the whole digestion process can get slowed down if you eat vegetables first and it like fills you up. Okay. Um, so I think that's quite interesting. I do think, like for me, a healthy diet, yes, means variety, but it also means not restricting, like you said, but at the same time a little bit of restriction. Like, I don't think for me it's healthy to drink soda every day. Um I don't think it's healthy to eat really fatty, uh ultra-processed foods every day. It can be part of a healthy diet. I see what you mean. But a healthy diet, like, because sometimes I do feel good eating fries. Yeah. And it's part of my diet. But if I did it every day, even though I do feel good doing it, that doesn't mean it's a healthy diet.

SPEAKER_01 19:55

Okay. I I agree that you need to restrict yourself. I think sometimes it can make the forbidden fruit seem more way more enticing if you're like, I am not allowed to eat sugar, or I'm not allowed to have fries. That's what I kind of mean.

SPEAKER_02 20:09

Yeah, no, I totally get that. I I also just think like if you're new to a healthy diet, kind of like if you're new to reading, like there are certain phases you have to push yourself through. For sure. And oftentimes those aren't just there's like they're not very fun. No, yeah. And sometimes you do just have to say, hey, for the next month, I'm not gonna eat sugar because I want that to like that craving to get out of my body, and then I can introduce it a little bit at a time. And sometimes it is kind of just will over matter.

SPEAKER_01 20:40

Yeah. And I think willpower is something you can, it's a muscle you can train. Um, what are your main like pitfall pitfalls when you try to eat a healthy diet? What uh what's your poison?

SPEAKER_02 20:56

What isn't my poison is really the question. Um probably oh, there's so many, like portion sizes sometimes. Yeah. You know, when you feel full, but the food's just so good that you keep eating. Yeah. Um, and then I do like unhealthy foods. And uh, you know, I'm very good at justifying things. Like, like we heard before, I'm like super good at arguing. Um I I do like sodas. I try not to drink sodas. That is one of the things where like I really try not to, but occasionally I'll have a soda. Um I love ice cream. I love ice cream. I've said this before in the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 21:37

But what's like one thing where you'll catch yourself eating it or drinking it or consuming it, and only once you're done you're like, ah shit, I did it again. Is there something like that?

SPEAKER_02 21:48

I don't know if there's one specific thing like that, but I think um for me, if I'm eating and doing something on the side that I'll just consume a lot, and then I'm like, did I? Finish that? And I'm like, I didn't even like I didn't even enjoy it. Yeah. And so I'm trying to get better at this of like not watching shows, not watching YouTube, not doing anything, but just focusing on what I'm eating.

SPEAKER_01 22:11

I heard from a nutritionist that um that kind of like your brain eats with you. So if you are distracted while you eat, your body will feel less full. Yeah. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 22:23

Yeah. But it does make sense to me because like I really I can eat so much if I'm distracted. Yeah. So I think that actually might like it might not be a food group for me because put anything in front of me and I'll be happy basically. Um but maybe more of yeah, being distracted while I eat. Yeah. In like with screens. I think it in social um context it doesn't happen as well.

SPEAKER_01 22:45

Yeah, because then you're talking and then you can't eat at the same time.

SPEAKER_02 22:48

You should try me.

SPEAKER_01 22:50

I think that and like um stress also. And then we were talking about this before PMS.

SPEAKER_02 22:56

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 22:57

Everything goes out the window. I'm PMSing right now, and yesterday I came home and I ate like half a bag of chips and some chocolate, and at the end I just looked at myself, what am I doing right now? And not that I was like mad at myself, but it's just usually not something I even crave when I come home, and all of a sudden I'm like inhaling everything that's in my path. So, but then on the other hand, I do think your body needs different fuel and more fuel. So it is trying to tell you something on a certain more fuel, less fuel.

SPEAKER_02 23:27

This is the question I'm genuinely curious about. How do you know like which portion size is correct for you?

SPEAKER_01 23:34

Um I think honestly, this varies based on my cycle, and it can vary a lot. Yeah, right now I think I eat maybe like it feels like I'm eating double the amount of what I usually eat because I'm PMSing. And on this note, I think it does make sense to eat slowly and not be distracted while you eat.

SPEAKER_00 23:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:58

And to just kind of once you're done with a portion, just kind of sit with yourself and be like, am I still hungry? And then if you are, that's perfectly fine. Yeah, but I think the conscious eating actually makes a huge difference, and it's fine if the portion sizes aren't always the same. I mean, you're also not doing the same amount of sports all the time and everything, and so it'll vary.

SPEAKER_03 24:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:19

But yeah, I think the slow and conscious eating is how I can tell. Okay. And if you stop overeating, I after a certain point, the feeling of overeating becomes very, very uncomfortable. But whereas if you're used to it, I think it's just a little uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_02 24:40

I I was reading, uh not reading, I was watching a video where it explains like the more you eat, you're because every time you're full, your stomach sends hormones to your brain to say, I'm full. And it takes, I think it takes like 20 minutes for your brain to notice that you're full. But the more you eat, the more those signals get sent to the brain, the more your brain starts to ignore them. Because you are ignoring them. So your brain learns to ignore them. So it's harder to for people who overeat to actually realize they're full because their brain is no longer receiving the signals. Like the signals are still being sent, but they're no longer receiving it. So I think that's pretty crazy though. Like then you probably like then maybe it is about portioning out before because you might not feel full even though you had enough to eat, and that's just a like the science behind uh eating healthy is yeah, really difficult, I think.

SPEAKER_01 25:35

That's why I think it can make sense to do a diet, but not with the goal of like, okay, I'm gonna do a diet for a month, I'll lose all the weight that I want to lose, and then I can go back to where I was. I think a diet makes sense to, I don't know, try out a diet with portion sizes and then realize, oh, I've been eating way more than because I thought I needed more. I think the goal has to be different, more of like an experiment kind of thing, and less of a hardcore, I'm gonna lose all the weight that I want to lose to get there.

SPEAKER_02 26:05

I think so too. I think that's a very fun way to kind of approach it, at least in my opinion. It's kind of fun. I still like to go on certain diets to see like, how do I feel if I cut out this food group? How do I feel if I don't eat this? And more out of curiosity, like how do I feel if I eat a bunch of vegetables, wait five minutes, and then eat the rest of the meal? Because then I usually can't eat much of the rest of the meal. And sometimes that's not what I want. But it's good to know. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, cool.

SPEAKER_01 26:38

Um Do you think it's easier for us to be able to eat healthy because we grew up in a healthy household? Yes, yes, I'm um as teachers and former teachers, yes. Yeah, like it's it's pretty insane what you I mean, makes sense, but like what your parents uh teach you.

SPEAKER_02 27:00

Even the society you live in, I think. Like being in the US, it was kind of a shock for me to be there again. Because I mean, I wanted to eat healthy, but now there are certain things that are just so expensive. Like it really is. I see why people say it's expensive to eat healthy, because we went and bought like fruits and vegetables, and it was like 50 bucks. But then you can go to Panda Express and get two spring rolls for two dollars and a meal for ten dollars. Yeah. But if you want a healthier meal from like a healthier place, it's twenty.

SPEAKER_01 27:35

And then it's a vicious cycle, you get unhealthy, you need medication for whatever.

SPEAKER_02 27:40

Or you just like this is all you can afford, and I kind of understand it. Yeah, like it it's definitely it's crazy, but it is very privileged to be able to eat healthy nowadays. Um I don't know what the solution is.

SPEAKER_01 27:59

I I I yeah, I also struggle with this, and so like I teach primary school, and even just seeing what their parents give them on break, it's like you'll have these kids, they get an apple or like a cut-up apple or something like that, like the normal or these crackers that we have here in Switzerland. But then other kids just have like a pack of cookies for break or an every day. Yesterday, one girl came up to me and she's like, I don't even have anything sweet with me today. I was like, Oh, okay, that's nice, no? She's like, Yeah, and then she ran out, but just if that's what's given to you as a kid, it's just you start at such a disadvantage. Yeah, I think it makes a huge difference that we were raised on a healthy diet, and it made it way easier to do like we talked before about this like intuitive eating. I think that's only possible once you've had like certain experiences with eating healthy.

SPEAKER_02 29:00

Yeah. I do think I don't think if like someone is listening to this and hasn't been raised in a healthy environment, I don't think it's impossible to change your habits. I just think it like people who have were raised in a in an environment where eating healthy was more available that they have kind of just a leg up yeah, and a different environment probably now with people around them that eat healthy.

SPEAKER_01 29:25

Like when we go, when we go out or when we have dinner as a family, it's usually relatively healthy, which also helps the situation.

SPEAKER_02 29:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:33

That being said, I don't think it's impossible to I don't think it's impossible, and I think as I said before, I think discipline is a muscle that you train. Yeah, I don't think people are born with more or less discipline.

SPEAKER_02 29:44

I don't always agree that discipline, like, okay, we might have to edit this out of the episode, but I don't always agree that people who have a bad diet have bad discipline. No. And I think it kind of came like when you said it like that, it kind of came across to me that.

SPEAKER_01 29:59

No, I don't I think there are different like sociocultural um predispositions that if you have a lower wage then you can't afford certain things like that. I completely see. I just think sometimes when it comes to diet and when it comes to fitness, you will hear the excuse, well, I just can't, I'm not just I'm not as disciplined, or I don't have that much grit. And I don't think that that is a fair excuse.

SPEAKER_02 30:25

No, but I think like it might just be a lack of education on the whole uh topic, and it's not I don't have enough discipline, but maybe your brain isn't receiving these signals, or you do have uh really loud food noise, and that's not something that everyone deals with. So maybe like really loud food noise. It's like that noise that tells you to keep eating and like that that you're not full and to eat certain foods, and like some people just kind of like you know how like some people have anxiety, and like I go into a room with new people, and depending on the context, I get like a like uncomfortable chest sensations because of anxiety. Like other people have something like that, but around food where they're just told all the time that it's not enough, they need to keep eating, and like I think these are real issues that I don't think I have this, so it's a little bit easier for me.

SPEAKER_01 31:24

But I don't think by saying that discipline is a muscle that you train that you're like saying that those things aren't real things either. No. I think both of those can exist in the same world.

SPEAKER_02 31:35

Yeah, for sure. I just don't wanna like I don't want to just connect those two.

SPEAKER_01 31:39

No, I'm not saying if somebody's if somebody's unhealthy, that can have to do with a merit of things. Yeah. But if somebody wants to get unhealthy who wants to get unhealthy, oh wants to get healthy is what I want to say. If you want to get unhealthy, I got tips for you. If you want to get healthy, I think there are certain things that most people can do in the situation they are right now. Yes. In Switzerland, especially.

SPEAKER_02 32:08

Yes, I think I mostly agree with you, but not fully.

SPEAKER_01 32:12

Okay. I think you're mostly correct, but not fully.

unknown 32:16

Basically.

SPEAKER_02 32:18

Um, last question. Okay. What do you think has worked for you? What do you think um has maybe hurt your journey?

SPEAKER_01 32:31

Okay. Um I think trying to eat to look a certain way has never been beneficial for me. Um because I think the results never come fast enough when it comes to food. I think it's a very long process and it's more like you eat healthy, and then all of a sudden you're like, oh, I really like the way I look right now, or maybe not.

SPEAKER_02 33:03

Um sorry, that's such a good point. I just like bravo, because that was like that. I didn't even think about that. No. But that's such a valid point that like it never comes fast enough. Yeah. So you don't realize like what was actually the turning point. Great point. Thank you. Chapeau. Applause. Okay, sorry.

SPEAKER_01 33:24

Um, I think what worked to like for me was having a different why for eating healthy. When I was a teen for a long time, it was like, I want to be skinny or stay skinny, and I want to have a six-pack. And as a teenager, yourself, like how you view yourself, is a bit distorted anyway, I think. But then with the endometriosis and like wanting to eat healthy and then doing more sports and realizing if I eat a certain thing before sports, then I perform worse or I don't feel as good. For me, the why is more now that I want to feel good and that I want to fuel my body kind of. Yeah. And I think society is moving in that direction, which is really nice. Um I'd say more so than they were before. Although the heroin chic thing is back.

SPEAKER_02 34:13

I was gonna say, I think with the Zempic and all these things, it's kind of going back to being very skinny.

SPEAKER_01 34:18

Yeah, I hope not. But anyway, um for me it helped to have a why of like wanting to be healthy and not wanting to be skinny.

SPEAKER_03 34:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:28

And then the like I'm very happy with how my body looks now without having focused it on it because of my body. Like I go running because I feel good when I run, or I eat healthy because I feel good when I eat healthy, and then the looks kind of came with it. But as I said, it's been like a few years of this, and then only a few months ago I looked at in the mirror and I was like, oh, this is kind of what I want it to look like. This is cool.

unknown 34:54

Cool.

SPEAKER_01 34:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:56

So that what about you? Um I think I agree with most of what you're saying. Yeah. Like to have a why rather than just this is how I want to look. And I think you brought up a really good point of the the outcome never comes fast enough. And I have heard that that's why a lot of people like fail because they switch their diet and then they look good because of the previous diet they were on, but like our brains can't connect that. Um, that being said, I do still like there is a weight I'm comfortable at and a weight I'm uncomfortable at. Okay. And sometimes if I haven't been eating healthy or just like feel that my body isn't how it can feel at it when I feel good about it. Yeah. Um that I am a little more restrictive about my diet. Okay. And for me Do you think that's a bad thing? I don't think it's a bad thing, but I think for me it is, it ha is a learning because when I'm at a heavier weight, I feel worse mentally as well.

SPEAKER_01 36:04

Is that based on a number or based on what you see?

SPEAKER_02 36:07

Uh it's based on how I feel in like certain like when I'm seated, if I can feel like yeah, stomach rolls or something, which you know, sometimes you can, sometimes you can't, depending on how you see are seated. But there is like a way my body feels, and if it feels like that, I get kind of yeah, I just get uncomfortable. And I know that if I gain weight, I'm kind of scared that my mental health will go with that, and then fair. I'm more likely to take stupid measures to get back to a healthy weight. And for me, it's kind of like it's too important to me to not be an idiot, to not do anything stupid to my body that like That's fair. I'd rather say, Okay, I'm not gonna like I'm gonna not ease as much chocolate for the next month until like I'm back to feeling healthy, to feeling like my self, and then I can ease up again. But occasionally and probably like once a year, I'm like, okay, time the reins a bit, Amy.

SPEAKER_01 37:07

Yeah, I see your point. I think there it can just be hard to know when the point is. Because uh what I've been learning, and it's only been like the past few months, is that I am bloated when I'm PMSing. Oh, that's and then I'll look in the mirror and be like, oh my god, I've gained so much weight, or like I just feel so much bigger than I usually am, and then a few days later it's fine again. Yeah. And there I will spiral sometimes too. Which is stupid. Yeah. But I see what you mean, like to kind of keep yourself in a comfortable range so that you don't do make drastic.

SPEAKER_02 37:48

Or like feel like I have to go on a really strict diet or something. I think it's easier to make now that I've lost weight that I wanted to, now it's easier to restrict myself sometimes a little bit rather than going really strict. Yeah. Um I do think though, if like if I feel uncomfortable, I do usually wait a week or two because when I'm on my period, I'm always like, I'm so fat. How did I gain six kilos and not even notice? Like my body hasn't, I haven't been eating that much, except for that like chocolate bar and that pint of ice cream. But other than that, um so I do like I don't make drastic decisions from one day to the next. Okay. Because usually, usually after my period is over, I'm like, hmm, look at me. I just lose all the water weight and I feel fine again.

SPEAKER_01 38:42

And I th yeah, we we feel comfortable, I think, right now where we are, and still there's a lot of like self-doubt and like moments where you're like, oh no. I never doubt myself self-doubt for myself.

SPEAKER_02 38:56

I'm a very confident person all of the time. All the time. Every of the time.

SPEAKER_01 39:03

Tell me a funny story. My funny story is that Amy was a vegetarian when she was a teenager.

SPEAKER_02 39:14

What a funny story. That was a little lame.

SPEAKER_01 39:19

Um, well, and because she's my bigger sister, I was like, okay, Amy's a vegetarian, I have to be a vegetarian. But I was like 13, and I thought I'd be vegetarian. Yeah. And I was vegetarian for maybe two days. And then we went to visit a friend of ours who was a chef at a restaurant, and my favorite meal that we would have of hers was beef tartare.

SPEAKER_02 39:45

Try not to sound like super polish with beef.

SPEAKER_00 39:48

My favorite meal is beef tartare. I mean, when she wasn't having caviar, it was the beef tartare.

SPEAKER_02 39:55

Lydia and I both connect fancy people with British people in case you have to.

SPEAKER_01 40:00

Um, and we were driving there and we were talking in the car, and mom was like, Lydia, you know that you can't have a beach beef tartare, right? And I was like, Why? Because you said you were being a vegetarian now. So I quit being a vegetarian. After two days, I was like, no more. It's ridiculous.

SPEAKER_02 40:21

Um yeah. But you don't eat a lot of meat.

SPEAKER_01 40:27

No, I'm still not a vegetarian, but I don't eat a lot of meat. I did a semester in Lausanne, and there was that was the first time I was kind of living not with my parents, and there I ate fully vegetarian just to try it. And now I just I don't eat a lot of meat.

SPEAKER_02 40:40

Yeah. Um my funny story is when we were in Mexico, uh they had Ben and Jerry's different flavors than they have here in Switzerland. And uh I would buy myself ice cream occasionally, and Tarek's not like huge into ice cream. And so we were standing in front of the ice cream thing, and I was like, let's pick a flavor for us to try together. And so we picked one, I think it was like Chunky Monkey or something, that he was excited about, and I was like, fine, let's do it. Um and you know, it's ice cream, so I ate it. I did tell him every time I was like, hey, you want some of this? And he was always like, Nah, I don't feel like ice cream, which crazy person. Um like a week later, he goes into the freezer and he was like, Heh, didn't we buy a different ice cream? And I was like, Oh yeah, I totally ate that already. He's like, It's been like four days, maybe I was like, No, it's been up at seven. Um, I have no idea. I think it was only four days, and I finished the entire container, and then I bought a new container and had already started that one, and he was shocked. He was like, You weren't even excited about this one. I was like, Yeah, but I can't have two ice cream. You gotta finish one before the next one's called. And I wanted the next one. Um very nice. Yeah, I I love ice cream. I feel like I've said that a lot.

SPEAKER_01 42:14

Okay, okay. Um, our advice for this week is uh eat healthy and Amy.

SPEAKER_02 42:21

Also, don't be a dick to yourself about eating healthy.

SPEAKER_01 42:24

That's a good one.

SPEAKER_02 42:24

Don't be a dick to other people or to yourself.

SPEAKER_01 42:27

Unless your name is Richard. That's it for this week. See you next week. Bye.