Rachael Finch admits to using restrictive diets during her early modelling days

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If you’re looking for someone who lives and breathes a healthy lifestyle, look no further than Rachael Finch.

The model and mum of two runs her own online health and wellness program but she hasn’t always been able to live a balanced life like this.

Rachael fell into the trap of restricted eating in the early days of her modeling career.

“There was a point in my life when I was 18 and 19 when I was travelling for modeling and I was really, really strict on my diet and my exercise to the point where I was restricting a lot of food groups,” she told Girlfriend’s Beauty Boss podcast.

“[I wasn’t] eating carbohydrates, really limiting my fat intake, even the good fats like avocadoes and nuts and I got to the point where I lost a lot of weight.”

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2007 mindset 👉🏻 2019 mindset. It may not look like a huge change but for me it is. . . Old pic: I felt uncomfortable with my body, obsessed about everything I ate, exercised at every chance I had, restricted my calories and then binged, & had no self awareness. . Pic from this morning: I'm completely in tune with how my body feels, I see the nutrient value & quality of my food, I don't measure anything or look at numbers, I'm constantly looking at how I can become more compassionate & giving. . . So what did I use to re-set my way of thinking over the past 12 years? 👉🏻 Listening & learning. I started surrounding myself with people & mentors that I wanted to learn from & understand their daily habits. 👉🏻 Meditate daily. Being able to sit quietly without thought on a regular basis has not only taught me how to remain calm in stressful situations, but allowed me to get in tune with my body on a deep level. #bodybyfinch 👉🏻 I did things that made me feel uncomfortable! Public speaking/ engaging in social settings/ confronting difficult conversations..... Whatever it was, I forced myself to do it so that I grew stronger & learnt that ultimately it didn't matter! 👉🏻 I changed the beliefs about my body from negative to positive ones. When I re-set these & constantly reminded myself of how beautiful my body was, it started to become a reality. 👉🏻 Practicing self-love. Regularly. . . . There are a hell of a lot more but these were the ones I started with to create my happiness. I hope they help! Please share this with someone who may find it helpful... @body_byfinch #bodybyfinch

Restricting foods and over exercising led to Rachael losing her periods for over two years.

"That’s a long time [for] something so natural for the body not happening,” Rachael said. “I’d go to bed at 7pm and wake up at 7am and I’d still be tired. I was on this vicious cycle of I would restrict and then I would binge eat and then it was just horrible moods and fatigue and lethargy and just constantly trying to keep up.”

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When I made the change to eat more macro-balanced meals my body was able to heal Itself and thrive. After losing my menstrual cycle for over 2 years I needed to improve my relationship with my food. After some time, with a change in other lifestyle factors too, my periods finally returned, cravings decreased & I saw meal time entirely different. (If you want to know what other changes I made to get my periods back on track check out my IGTV). . . At each meal I aim to include complex carbohydrates, good quality protein, essential fats, loads of veg & occasionally ferments to support my gut! The entire @body_byfinch program has been built around this approach with @jescoxnutritionist helping drive this realistic way of living & eating. . . #BBFmeal 👉🏻 My macro bowl (brown rice hidden underneath). 🙌🏻 #bodybyfinch

Eventually, Rachael became fatigued with the merry-go-round of dieting and decided to change.

“I woke up one day and I was just like ‘I am tired of being tired’ and I made a change,” she said. “I slowly had to learn how to nourish my body and what foods are right to eat for my body.”

Alexandra M