If you know anything about psychology, you may be familiar with the Stages of Change. I won't go into all of the details, but it outlines the different stages of change from thinking about change to actually committing to a change. I haven't quite hit the Maintenance stage of my stages, but I did hit a great milestone - my one month mark! What this means is that as of Monday of this week I have officially been on my diet for four full weeks. Let me take you through the last month...
Honeymoon Stage
At first I was stoked and super motivated - I had committed to this diet and was going to stick with it. I went to my favorite grocery store, Sunflower Market, and I bought all of my natural foods and processed foods that had a maximum of five ingredients in them. I got rid of everything in my apartment that had more than five ingredients. I was set!
Initially I loved it, I felt so good about my diet and my life. My mental state pertaining to my diet was in a great state. My meals consisted of veggies, meat, and fruit for the most part. My sweets intake was at an all time low, though I made up for that with peanut butter straight from the jar!
I was on my way; the first week was cake (but not really because I couldn't have cake)!
Challenge
With any new change there come challenges and roadblocks that you must overcome. I hit a lot of challenges within my first month. Challenges that include, but are certainly not limited to:
• Parties - Food tables at parties are sooo tempting with processed deliciousness!
• Restaurants - Almost every dish at a restaurant is covered in some sort of sauce or packed with all sorts of goodies that are processed and re-processed, making the ingredient amounts reaching triple digits no doubt.
• Vacation - Try taking a vacation and sticking to a diet where every meal you have is at a restaurant and your options are limited.
• Office Kitchen - People are so nice when they consider their colleagues for things like donuts, pastries, cakes, and muffins. Every time I walk into our kitchen they just stare at me, tempting me for just one bite.
• Cravings - Come on, let's be real...do you think I just don't want a peanut butter cup or some ice cream? I want nothing more than to snack on some pretzels or have some delicious comfort food laden with high fructose corn syrup and words I can't pronounce.
• People That Don't Get It - I don't mean this in a negative way at all, but some people just don't get what you are trying to do and tempt you with anything and everything because they think it is just easier that way...and guess what - it is easier! But easier isn't the point...
• Lack of Knowledge - Sometimes when you start something new you do not know what your options are. I wasn't aware of different recipes and things that I could do to maximize this diet.
Kicking 'Challenge' Out the Window
Alright, I've hit the one month mark, which means I have figured out how to navigate through the challenging waters that are this diet. Here are just a few ways that I have learned to overcome the things above:
• Parties - Ok, well let's start with Step 1: Eat before the party so you will be less tempted...Step 2: Mentally prepare yourself for the challenge that is before you - stay strong!...Step 3: Be a nice guest and bring something to the party to contribute to the table. Here is the catch, make it something you CAN eat. I went to a party and brought grapes and Triscuits - both of which are on my list of things I can eat. I stuck with those and the veggie tray, minus the dip...Step 4: Congratulate yourself on success (when you leave of course)!
• Restaurants - I have a one sentence statement that will solve this problem instantly..."All you have to do is ask!" Look at the menu and pick out things that you can have. Sure, you can go the salad route and leave off the dressing, but you can only have so many salads. I find a meat I like and ask what my veggie options are. I also look at other menu items and check out the sides to see if I can find things like black beans or fruit. Then, true to the phrase, I just ask..."Is it possible to make a custom platter?" Every restaurant I have been to in the last month has been incredibly accommodating. And if you know how much I travel, you know I eat out often - so that is a lot of restaurants! Just Ask!
• Vacation - Right, smack dab, in the middle of this month was a vacation with my parents. They flew out to CO and we drove to Telluride for the Blues and Brews festival. If you remember from my original post, I was not including beer on my diet because...well, come on. So the vacation plan - similar to the restaurant plan - almost anything can be accommodated, you just have to be creative. I brought fruit with me and on days of the festival I would shop at the local market and get things I could take in with me. When we would eat at the vendors within the festival, I stuck with the Mexican place and made up my own menu item with just rice, beans, chicken, and veggies. Breakfast out almost always consisted of an omelet filled with veggies. Get creative!
• Office Kitchen - Gotta love this one! Simple solution - bring enough snacks of your own that include fresh fruit and veggies that will keep you full and satisfied so that you are not tempted. Be mentally strong enough to resist!
• Cravings - Let's get real, these occur. Well, that creativity comes into play here yet again. I looked around and guess what - I found a chocolate bar called Chocolove, made in Boulder that has 4 ingredients in it. It is so rich and delicious! I also discovered that Haggen Dazs makes an ice cream called '5' and they have numerous flavors of ice cream with just five ingredients. It is probably the best vanilla bean ice cream I have ever had! I made a chocolate cake for my friend's birthday and it had just five ingredients in it. You can always accommodate cravings in other ways such as distracting yourself or substituting something else to replace what you actually want...or you can find things that work too, like Haggen Dazs!
• People That Just Don't Get It - Yes, it is true that some people just don't get what you are doing. Explain your motivation; explain why it is important to you and then just practice saying, "No, thank you." Trust me, it is empowering!
• Lack of Knowledge - Duh, buy a cookbook or do some research online - it isn't rocket science, it is a diet!
So there you have it - that is one month of me trying this new thing. So far so great - I really love it and feel better about doing it. The next month will be a challenging one and I do have one cheat day on the books, I'm taking a cooking class focusing on pumpkin...mostly desserts. But you know what - when you try to change something like this, you have to allow yourself some slack and not be so rigid with everything. That cheat day is something I am working towards because I LOVE pumpkin everything! My goal is to earn it, and so far I am. Bring it on Month #2!!!
