For those of us who feel we “overindulged” a little over Easter, Instagram star and vlogger Sarah Puhto has an important message.
The 20-year-old, from South Africa, believes we should never “beat ourselves up” for gaining weight.
Instead, she called on her 84,000 followers to focus on self love and body positivity in order to make positive changes and ultimately, feel better.
“If I flex really hard and am in great lighting I have 3/4 of an ab,” she said in a post.
“As I’ve been on holiday, I’ve been eating everything I’ve wanted because I visited a new country and found so much delicious new vegan food to try.
“I regret nothing, even though I have gained a bit of fat and have been breaking out on my face. But since I’m back in South Africa now I’ve decided to indulge in a bit of self care to get myself back into a positive and healthy way of living.”
She said before the photo she shaped her eyebrows, put on a face mask and indulged in some red lipstick in order to make herself feel better.
“I’m gonna get back into my usual workout routine and eating a lot healthier than I used to. This doesn’t mean I’m going to fully cut out junk food, I’m just going to eat more intuitively,” she said.
“If you’re also going through fat gain and feeling sluggish due to a bit of overeating of junk food, please don’t beat yourself up. That’s the last thing you need!
“Just stay positive, keep loving your body, and practise self love so that you can start making your body feel better.”
She pointed out that whether it’s eating healthier, working out or just putting on a face mask, we all need a bit of “me time”.
“You never need to feel bad about fat gain, it’s a thing that happens to everyone and is reversible if that’s what you want,” she said.
“Just be patient, keep positive and put in the effort.”
Her post has been liked more than 4,000 times, with dozens of people commenting to thank Puhto for her honesty.
“Thank you so much for being so honest. I hope you realise how much you help,” one said.
Another added: “Reading that was just the boost I needed today, gotta remember that self love.”