I'll admit, I'm sure I add to your confusion sometimes, and I probably add to your stress levels. My cousin recently told me, "I read your stuff on Facebook, and I just want to go eat a cookie."
I'm sorry. I really am. It shouldn't be that confusing. All the science out there essentially boils down to two things: eat whole, unprocessed foods, and control your blood sugar.
Even if we know the science, our relationship with food can be a complicated one. It's doesn't have to be that way, though. If you're not happy with the relationship you have right now, it's like any relationship. You're not going to change it overnight. It takes work, it takes patience, and it takes baby steps.
Sometimes you're hit by a lightning bolt (a diagnosis, the death of a loved one, a picture of yourself, etc.) that makes it easy to make big changes overnight, but more likely you try to make changes because you want to fit into your clothes, be more active, look better naked, or just feel better overall. If that sounds more like you, then baby steps will probably serve you better over the long run.
Here's what I mean:
Instead of saying "I'm going to give up sugar, now and forever," take baby steps with your first meal of the day. Instead of cereal or oatmeal, make eggs, chia pudding, or keto oatmeal and put it in the fridge ready to go each morning. Establish that habit, then move on to lunch. (Notice I didn't say morning snack. If you're eating plenty of protein for breakfast, that mid-morning snack is probably more of a habit than a product of real hunger. Pay attention and adjust accordingly.)
Work on breakfast for at least a week before you move on to your next step. That could be eliminating the aforementioned morning snack, switching from sweetened creamer to plain, adding some veggies to your eggs (avocado's the best!), or even postponing breakfast until later in the morning when you really are hungry.
Moving on to lunch. What small change can you make there? Add more protein and eat it first? Add a serving of veggies? Start packing your own lunch instead of hitting the nearest drive thru? Choose the protein bowl instead of the biggie-sized burger with fries on the side?
Again, choose one thing and practice that for at least a week before moving on to your midafternoon snack (again--habit or necessity?) and/or dinner.
Dinner can be the trickiest because it's also the most social. If you're cooking to please the whole family, it's easy to make things that don't necessarily match your nutritional goals. If you're eating out, the social pressure (and sometimes the price point) can influence your food decisions. Check out my posts on keeping things simple and eating out for more ideas.
Often the easiest change you can make is in your choice of beverages. Choose water, sparkling water, or tea over sugary or alcoholic beverages. You just made a huge difference with that one choice right there. If you still want a glass of wine or a vodka soda, maybe you can limit it to once or twice a week.
Another easy change you can make is to close your eating window after dinner--the earlier the better, for improved sleep and digestion. I like to stop eating by 6:00 pm every night. Sometimes it's earlier, and if we go out it might be later. Either way, I try not to eat anything after dinner so my stomach isn't still trying to digest when I'm asking it to calm down and go to sleep a few hours later.
See if this works for you. Make baby changes to each meal before you move on to the next one and see how it goes. Often, when you start with a protein-rich, satiating breakfast, it's easier to stick to a plan throughout the rest of the day.
I'd love to talk to you about the program, so book a free consultation with me by clicking the Calendly button. I look forward to talking to you!
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