Its probably taken you months, maybe even years before you finally bit the bullet to take control of your nutrition. Everyone starts for different reasons. Most start for weight loss, but the more I work with clients outside of the gym I am starting to work with populations who no longer feel “good”. To the world they aren’t overweight, they aren’t sick they look fine, on the inside they are screaming for help. They are sick and tired of literally being sick and tired all the time. They want to sleep more, have sex again, feel confident, become strong, and fix some damage done by trying all the fad diets flooding the market.
The excitement of having something new on the go starts to wear off, you see results but they are taking longer than you thought, family dinners start coming, weddings happen, and family holidays begin.
How do you deal with this?? Well, let’s explore some options.
The truth. While we might feel a bit embarrassed to say we aren’t happy with the way our clothes fit or that we aren’t feeling very energetic people will always respect you and usually take the truth the best. You might not want to tell your granny that you don’t want to eat her marshmallow salad because you’re working on your diet so that you can get your morning wood back but I think working on health will suffice. (If I just offered you, it’s just the truth)
Goals. Tell them your goals! Yo! If your goal is to be a badass competitor or runner or triathlete let them know that! If they don’t support your goals to better yourself then maybe you have bigger issues to talk about then passing up that white bun.
Self-care. We live in a world that we are supposed to feel like we are shitting rainbows and butterflies and if we admit that we aren’t and we are struggling with anxiety or depression and fixing your gut health is a much better option then pumping drugs into your body, these people will respect you and my guess they are going to become your biggest fans!
New friends or in-laws and you’re scared to go all crazy detailed on everything you’re trying to fix because you don’t want to sound like a train-wreck, stick with “I’m allergic” Seriously. I used this a lot! Someone offers you something you don’t like or can’t handle just say I’m allergic, nobody shames you and says “AWWW come on anaphylactic shock is super fun and exciting.”
At the end of the day, you do need to do what’s best for you. Your health and life should be a priority. Taking care of your health by choosing good quality foods is one of the best ways to enjoy a long life. I don’t understand why being healthy has become the minority, the weird or only for the weak, I do think over time more and more people will start to take control of their lives and diet and by then you’re going to be the expert and the support system. In defense to these people who we feel are trying to derail our progress they do honestly believe you look great, you come off as being healthy and your happy happy happy because chances are you lead them to believe that. Everyone wants to have what they want when they want it and it comes down to food choices, people think eating a pizza will make you happier than eating a chicken salad. People have labeled foods as fun and boring, and it really causes a stink for anyone who is health conscious. If your friends are always dragging you down, you might want to find some friends who want to live the same type of lifestyle that you want.
Just be honest. Embrace the process the fun and the ugly, it all pays off.