3 Small Things To Do Before You Make Your Next Diet Move

Did you ever have a day or a month or a time of personal success that you were so excited about but looked like no big deal whatsoever to other people? 

Like when my day's wins include finding a piece to my son's toy set that's been lost for a month, or I got a $10 rebate check in the mail, or I successfully stuck with my weekly budget for like 3-4 days and I feel like I am on top of the world but yet my husband comes home from work and doesn't quite share my enthusiasm...

Well, I feel similarly that in the last month I have Marie Kondo'd mine and my son's clothes. 

I started a new meditation training that is totally blowing me away.

I finished two books for pleasure (more reading less TV! Boom!)

I have completely released the guilt and self-inflicted pressure I carried for-EVER about what type of mom, business owner, health coaching blogger I was supposed to be, while allocating the time I have to doing exactly what I want to be doing, and life seems to actually be flowing better than before! (Check that recent post out here, it's a good one.)

I attempted and then stopped my own elimination diet, only to finally seek some professional medical advice to address some personal health concerns. I've now embarked on a WHOLE NEW level of clean eating...not something I'll be pushing upon my clients and followers, but it will definitely be influencing what I share going forward.

Oh yeah, I'm going plant-based. 

And I'll gradually share with you over the coming months what that means and all the things I'm learning along the way.

But for now, I have a few specific things I would like to encourage you to work on before you make any major long-term changes or commitments going forward:

Instead of insisting that you must make an instant, overnight, life-changing decision to "fix" whatever is bothering you with your weight or your health, like this...

"I'm going Keto, it is the only thing that works."

"I have to cut out sugar and I'll be fine."

"I think I'll just be vegan for a while." 

Let's just take it one step at a time, folks. Try this first:

1. Take inventory of your kitchen, your food, your fridge, your supplements, shakes and medications (old) and GET RID of anything that is no longer serving you. This DOES NOT mean I’m telling you you "have to" throw things away that you want, “waste” money, or stop taking medications that are prescribed currently that you are taking (don't do that).

But, consider all the foods or food items that are not what you want in your body going forward. Old supplements/shakes, foods or seasonings you don’t like or want (or that are old and expired) including anything that you know is standing in your way of feeling better. Start “cleaning” out your kitchen so you are ready to make space for healthy shopping, cooking and eating habits. You don’t have to go out and buy anything new yet, simply make space for what is coming next. (This includes kitchen utensils or gadgets that you never, ever use). 

2. Stop overly researching and attempting something new every few weeks. Trust me, one new supplement or diet plan you read on a facebook headline is not the missing link to your weight loss and health woes. If you start and stop something new every few days or weeks, you'll just waste money and energy and never know what is really working.

3. Write down, track, or type up everything that you eat and drink, the time you ate/drank, how you felt afterwards, and any bathroom habits or mood issues you want to track. Maybe something you are doing or eating is leading you to have headaches, irritability, indigestion, or hives? Be very honest and consistent. This isn’t about judging your habits as good or bad, this is about learning to replace the foods and choices that are no longer working for you (and your goals) with new foods and patterns that will get you to your goals. 

BONUS: If you have Netflix and like documentaries, I recommend you take a look at the movie “Forks Over Knives” and "In Defense of Food." They are a few years old but have been supportive of some of the current plant-based eating research I've been doing and are very eye-opening.

If it doesn't bring you joy, tell it thank you, and let it go…