Repeat Offenders - Friday - 6/21/2019

We have a mix in my group of newbies and veterans. Some of the info is more geared toward the newbies, but I think it's things that we can all still learn from. My coaches comments here speak specifically to Keto, but you can insert your own food plan name. This feels pretty universal to me. It even applies to my experience with WW, although I don't remember ever specifically addressing this kind of thing. It's like a food slanted "Stages of Grief"

"Before you can break out of prison, you have to realize that you are locked up."

Many people have a difficult time even considering keto because they fixate on the foods they can’t have. And even people who do decide to do keto have a hard time focusing on all they CAN have as they mourn their favorites.
As you let go of the foods you thought you couldn’t live without, you really will go through the stages of grief.

🧂There is denial. Where you tell yourself that you’ll try harder this time. Where you explain that you just don’t have enough willpower. Where you convince yourself that you aren’t an addict.

🧂There is anger. Especially at others who seem to be able to eat your favorites with no consequences. It’s unfair!

🧂There is bargaining. When you negotiate having a food that is a trigger. When you tell yourself it’s just this once. When you tell yourself it’s just a bite. When you tell yourself you’ll get right back on plan. Even though that has never worked in the past.

🧂There is depression. When you cry over the loss of the food. When you mourn the idea of normal.


🧂There is acceptance. When you finally realize that being on plan is your only option. And you do it.

Good morning ROs. I'm working at home today - had one of those really bad sleep nights and it took an entire Ambien to finally knock me out at 12:30, then up again at 5 for the personal training. I'm wiped out. This particular insomnia was caused by terrible eating yesterday culminating in a visit to the frozen yogurt place with all the toppings. Ugh, I so paid for this and everything else that preceded it. Lora you're so right about the long week and the need to regroup. Since I'm at home today it feels as if the weekend has begun, although I have to clear out at 1 so my cleaning lady can do her thing. My place is too small for the two of us to co-exist in the same space. I will go out for lunch with DN and we're both having salads!!!

Lora, the stages of grief you describe here were first outlined in a book by Elizabeth Kubler Ross called On Death and Dying. It was our bible during the early days of the AIDS epidemic and was a standard text when I was in social work school back in the 70's. Since the book came out there has been a lot of work on these stages - initially it was thought that people move in an orderly fashion from one to the next, but in fact people often jump around, repeat some of them, do some at the same time, do things out of order. It's a helpful framework though and I haven't ever heard it used around a particular food plan, so that's super creative and interesting. In my own coaching session we seem to be following the broad strokes of this - the first session about rebellion (denial), the second one on anger and despair, and I'm thinking the third one will focus a lot on grief. Thanks for sharing this with us.

I've done my conference call this morning, had a light breakfast, and now I think I'm ready for a nap. Oh, I also talked to my hair stylist because I'm going to have an "American wave" and I need to figure out how to get the color and cut in as well. Right now it looks like I'll need multiple trips. 1st world problems...

Jana, sorry about the funk but great news on the weight loss. Glad everything is ok with your DPs.

Lora, glad your headache is behind you.

I'll bbl.

Andi - yes,  On Death and Dying was actually required reading while I was in Nursing School.   I'd never before related the stages to my food recovery, but it just made a lot of sense, so I wanted to share it.