One reason people resist change is because they focus on what they have to give up…..instead of what they have to gain.
Has this ever been you?
I know it’s been me!
In fact, I’m in the midst of a detox that I had on the shelf for months because I was SO caught up in what I’d have to give up (TEMPORARILY at that….well, here’s to HOPING most of it is temporary because y’all know I don’t like deprivation) vs. how it could help me.
I had to make the decision that the good would outweigh the bad and jump in already!
What things did I not wanna give up?
Wellllllll……
- Time ~ I knew I was going to have to spend more time planning my meals, grocery shopping & meal prep
- COFFEE
- Sugar ~ aka CUPCAKES
- Gluten ~ aka CUPCAKES
- Alcohol
- After Phase 1, animal protein….so no eggs or meat/fish for at least two weeks
- Gum ~ I chew sugar-free but the guide says the chemicals and artificial sweeteners in it can affect your body, especially if your body is in a state of inflammation and stress. AND, did you know the second you start chewing, it stimulates your digestive system?! So, your body is “thinking” is gonna get food and then it doesn’t. One of the main goals with this detox is to let your digestive system “rest” as much as possible throughout the day and night.
Giving up anything you love, even for a period of time, goes back to those #unsexy things I talk about on Tuesdays (ha, now Wednesday….yes, late getting it done again!) ~ those things that may seem hard and sometimes unimportant in the short-term but can lead to HUGE progress down the road.
So, like I said, I had to make the decision to just do it.
It’s been challenging and I’m only 8 days in.
But, I’m doing it!
And, what have I already gained?????
Welllllll……
- Time ~ ha, didn’t I just say I knew I’d have to give up time to plan, shop & prep? Well, what I found was that while it took more time upfront, I make several day’s worth of meals at once and SAVE time throughout the week when I’m busier! AND, I’m not as tempted to reach for something not on the plan and not stressed wondering what I’m gonna eat.
- The sugar has been tough. I didn’t realize the mindless candy snacking I was doing at work. I mean, I did KNOW I was having too much candy during the day between different offices and the breakroom around here but now that I’m not doing it, it’s an eye-opener on how often I was walking into an office JUST to get candy! Nothing even work-related lol.
- Gluten is one thing I’ve wondered about being sensitive to. But, there are lots of schools of thought out there that gluten intolerance is way less common than it seems in the midst of the gluten-free craze. I’m going to wait longer before I re-introduce it and find out. I’ve also thought of doing a test a friend suggested to me for peace of mind. It’s kinda spendy but it would be SO worth it if it were accurate. I’ll be talking more about that in posts down the road should I choose to try it 🙂 If you’re curious WHAT it is right now, you can reply to this post and I’ll send you the deets on it. I read one person found out she couldn’t eat PAPRIKA. I meant how random is that BUT how awesome would it be to KNOW you should avoid paprika lol. I’ve also learned through this process that often the body can build up intolerances to food. Say, you ate chicken every day for months….your body could POTENTIALLY develop an intolerance to chicken. Fascinating, right?! Ok, maybe I’m a nerd but I love nutrition and the body amazes me, so I find it very intriguing to learn more. Especially since one of the signs of an intolerance is bloating, and since before I started this I would often bloat to the point I looked like I was 7 months preggo, I’m very excited about the possibility of narrowing some of this down!
- Ahhhhh, beer and wine. Yes, I do miss having beers with friends or my not-every-night-but-a-few-times-a-week glass of wine or TWO. BUT, I can tell you I don’t miss any headaches I would get or just that blah feeling.
- The eggs and meat has been more challenging than I thought it would be. I LOVE EGGS! And, while I don’t LOVE meat all the time, for some reason I’m dreaming of filet mignons wrapped in as much bacon as possible lol. #gofigure ~The last time I craved meat like this was when I really WAS preggo! #noimnot ~And, my hubby caught fresh perch last weekend and I was dying to have some. I like perch even more than walleye! #yummo ~So, I WILL say I’m anxious to slowly add animal protein & fish back in and hit the Whole30. Ha, and then I will probably get sick of meat again.
- The no gum has been tough. I love having a fresh mouth! But, this one turned out not to be a deal breaker lol.
- I saved the hardest for last lol. COFFEE. #coffeemakestheworldgoround #asdocupcakes ~ Ummmm, safe to say this has been my hardest part. I keep hoping one day I will wake up and not wanna run for my Keurig. Like I said, I’m into week 2 and it hasn’t happened yet where some of the other cravings have gone. So, I’m gonna guess this one isn’t going anywhere. A friend told me she heard some people don’t like the taste of it after going through something like this. I guess we shall see! And, one of the most common questions I’ve been asked since I started this is “Why no coffee???” I’ll talk about that in a separate blog post but it mostly has to do with getting your body back to a balance of alkaline/acidic. I’m not sure my body is in out of balance and more acidic BUT giving up coffee for now is one of the ways to help find out AND reverse it.
Anyhoo, there ya have it! My most recent experience of delaying making a change because of how uncomfortable it would be for me. But, as the saying also goes, I decided the pain of staying the same would be worse than the pain of change.
So, if you’re out there feeling like I did a few months ago…..knowing you need to do something different but you just can’t seem to get started or you just don’t WANT to out of fear of failure and more, make a list of all the reasons you want something different for your life. Then, read those things over and over and over every day for a while. And, then, just DECIDE. It’s up to you. AND, THEN, PUSH THROUGH….because it will be hard before it gets easier 🙂 (If I can do it, YOU can do it! #forrealslol) If you want something different, you have to do something different 🙂
Oh, and just so you know, this is a post about nutrition and doing a detox plan BUT the idea of deciding you’re ready to make a change applies to so so many areas in your life! I’m reading a new book ~ a book that I’ve actually had for a long time now but hadn’t started ~ and as I was finishing reading my chapter tonight, this stood out to me ~ The Law of Diminishing Intent says, “The longer you wait to do something you should do now, the greater the odds that you will never actually do it.” John Maxwell in 15 Laws of Invaluable Growth
Let that sit for a moment. That hit me hard because a few short years ago I was so so close to “never actually doing it”….to never actually dreaming big…..to never actually taking action….to never actually failing forward. That would’ve been so sad if I had waited even a day longer 🙂