Moving from a conventional or SAD (Standard Australian/American) diet is tough.
Believe me, I know.
When I made the change, I went all in and threw out anything with dairy, sugar, grains and alcohol all at the same time. And next came the WORST. CARB FLU. EVER.
However, I knew it would be a good thing, and a few weeks (and 20 pounds of weight lost) later, I felt great and haven’t looked back since.
Now that I’ve experienced the benefits of eating By Design for myself, most of the time its pretty easy to stay on track. But there are certain circumstances that consistently lead me off track – all of which expose a deep seated emotional connection to food.
I’m pretty sure these would be common to a lot of people, so I’m gonna lay it all out here and count on all of you to comment below and let me know if this is true for you too, mmkay?
1. When Things Aren’t Going Well
When we’re scared, frustrated or stressed out, our natural instinct is to go back to something we know (something safe). This is a perfect breeding ground for cravings and cheating on your diet. When we’re in this kind of emotional state, its natural to seek pleasure. There are a lot of positive/constructive ways to fulfil this e.g. go work out, catch up with old friends, journal; and there’s also a lot of negative/destructive ways to fulfil it e.g. eating junk food.
2. When I’m Out And About
Eating out can be really tough, no matter what kind of diet you’re on. Vegan, Paleo, By Design, doesn’t matter, there’s always something out there to tempt you. For me, its the dessert menu – I’ve always had a sweet tooth, one I never had a whole lot of limitation on growing up, i might add.
So now that I know how damaging grains and sugar are for my body, you’d think it would be easy to say no to cheesecake right? The problem is, my brain still remembers how it feels to taste something so rich and sweet – a memory which seems to supersede all those other memories of how i feel about 20 minutes after inhaling a big ol’ slice of my favorite chocolate caramel cheesecake.
3. When I’m Late/Stressed Out
I don’t know about you, but I REALLY hate being late. I also, REALLY like sleep. As a consequence of this fateful combination, breakfast can be a real struggle for me.
In my case, this isn’t a situation which drives me to eat off track, more that I skip altogether, or make do with a just cup of coffee on my way out the door (the original hot breakfast). The reality is that if I don’t wake up in time to make breakfast at home, I’m automatically in a losing situation, whether I skip altogether or grab something quick at the Starbucks drivethru.
So….what now?
Commit to the Ritual
One of the biggest revelations I had regarding staying on track was the more I did to have things pre-planned and pre-cooked, the less likely I am to fall off the wagon. Any behaviour change requires habit change.
One of the easiest changes you can make, for the biggest savings in time and energy, is food planning and prep.
Before you go shopping for the week, make a list of ALL your meals for the week, including what groceries you’ll need to make it all. Then, once you’ve picked everything up, carve out a couple hours to prepare all your recipes, so all that’s left to do is cook it.
This may sound like an arduous task, but by doing it all at once, you save yourself hours of time spent cooking, chopping and shopping.
Want to learn more about eating By Design?
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Dr. David Hawkes is a wellness expert and martial arts enthusiast. Born and raised in Perth, Western Australia, Dr. Hawkes’ passion for health and wellness brought him literally halfway around the world to join The Wellness Group team. Dr. Hawkes ran a successful practice in Perth’s western suburbs before moving to Ottawa. Dr. Hawkes has a special interest in family wellness, as well as peak performance. He is passionate about helping individuals and families lead their extraordinary lives.
