YOU’VE GOT TO REARRANGE?
In my last blog (Click here to read it now!) I talked about being mindful in assessing if it was time to make some changes to your program to keep you moving towards your goals. This time I want to give some advice on how to go about making those changes. Since I do not know what your current program looks like I am not going to give you advice on specific changes, instead I again want to encourage you keep that mindfulness muscle strong and provide some important big picture views on how you should approach change. I will however close with a few keto specific tips that you might find useful!
Before I dive in I want to reiterate the importance of being honest with yourself on what your actions currently consist of and how you have been succeeding at applying them consistently. Remember, change driven by inconsistency and unclear intentions will never garner the results you are looking for in the end. That said, let’s dive in!
Don’t Just Scrap Everything!
Be willing to look at the individual components of what you have been doing and assess what has been working and what has not. Don’t just nuke the whole plan and start over at zero. Allow the pieces that have been helping you build lasting change and sustainable action to remain. It can often be easier to tweak a habit you have been working on instead of trying to create an entirely new action.
Make The Changes Mindful
What are you hoping to achieve by making change? Like I have said before, change for change’s sake is often not the way to go. Be mindful in assessing your goals, from long term to short term. Then build specific actions that support moving you towards them. Ask yourself, “Will this new action give me the result I am looking for?” This is a great time to be doing some research and seeing the results other real people have been getting using the plans you are considering. Does what you’re seeing resonate well with you?
Be Willing To Fail
Change is scary and takes risk. As much as you can be aware of the need for it, you can be afraid to actual put it into action for fear of failure. Be willing to step into that place and face the fear. You may try something new and determine it is not the right path. That is ok! Especially when it comes to food, food choices and eating plans. You may mentally be sure it is the right way to go but then find out when you put it into action that it is causing undesirable results. Note it, identify a new path, and move forward. Do not let the fear of those discoveries keep you from doing anything.
Check Your Report Card
When you do decide it is time to make changes to your plan be sure to include measures for assessment and evaluation. I suggest that when it comes to trying a change in an eating plan you give it at least 30 days to see what the real results are. Create a plan to measure your progress and success with a specific timeline and tools for assessment. It goes back to the mindful piece. If you know the results you are after, create a realistic benchmark for that 30 days. It should include physical and mental pieces as well, not just the scale. How are you feeling in general? How have your cravings reacted? How is your body moving? How are you performing movement-wise? Define the categories that matter and be willing to do the honest “grading” on your performance.
Don’t Lose Sight of Your Goals
Whenever decide it is time to make change to our actions and plans, we should also be defining and redefining our goals so that they stay at the forefront of our minds. Goals can be long term, say a year out, but should also be broken down into more measurable short term pieces like monthly, weekly and even daily. The more specific your goals the easier it is to see if you are doing the things needed to achieve them. Don’t just say “Be better” define what better means to you. Create a way to keep them in focus. I keep mine on a note on my phone that I keep pinned to the top of my list.
I hope that these loose guidelines will be useful as you enter into the waters of change. Remember that you’re worth the extra work this level of mindfulness can require and in the end it will move you closer to building the sustainable life you are after. Change is a natural part of life and working on it with the right perspective can be a powerful tool!
As promised here are a few BONUS keto specific tips that you might want to consider as a part of your plan for change:
Total Carbs Not Net Carbs
I’ve said it before, I will say it again, tracking Total NOT Net carbs can be a game changer. It helps you pay greater attention to the choices your making, removes some choices that might be allowing past patterns of behavior to persist, and deepens your understanding of what exactly is in the food you are eating.
Track Everything
If you have been following a more “lazy keto” style program, eating from a ketogenic template but not really looking at your calories and macros implementing tracking can help you get a clear picture of what are doing and what you might think you are doing but really aren’t. Often this is the difference between following a low carb diet and actually following a ketogenic lifestyle.
Assess Your Plate
Take a look at the foods you are actually eating. If your diet consists mainly of highly processed but “keto” labeled foods it might be good to shift to a more whole foods based plan. Eat out of fewer boxes and prep more food at home. This might also help you see if there are specific types of foods you’re leaning on heavily that are hindering your progress, like keto treats.
