3 Main Reasons Why Revamping Your Way of Eating Can Be Daunting (At First)... (3-Part Post)

If I had a head of lettuce for every time Chad-who-loves-Cheesies exclaimed, "But that seems like so much work!" after listening to me describe the ketogenic/low-carb lifestyle that I follow, I would be able to feed the entire country of Italy with the bountiful amounts of salad that the sheer volume of these exclamations would allow me. So much lettuce, so little time.

The thing is, people find many ways to distract, justify, or psyche themselves out of doing something beneficial for their health, including but not limited to binge watching old episodes of "Friends" on Netflix, until they've satisfied their theory that Rachel and Joey should've ended up together. I know I myself did it, and now I'm looking at you. Put down the remote, and step away from the bad theme songs.

I'd like to delve further into what our friend Chad said, and discuss: Why does it seem like "so much work"? Or, alternatively... Why can't you put down that super tempting, plastic bag of manufactured orange U-shapes, Chad? (Disclaimer: Apologies in advance to anyone named Chad that may be reading this.)

1. The Social Aspect

A common mode of thinking is that socially, it can be a lot harder to change your diet/WOE (way of eating) due to the influence (whether subconscious or conscious) of other people, and feeling like you have a lack of options when dining out, or even dining at home.

We are social creatures, us humans. Food does indeed bring us together! So, going out for a social dinner with friends or family becomes a game of "How many breadsticks can I shove into my mouth at once to reign supreme bragging rights over my brother Timmy?" and can quickly graduate to "How many breadsticks can I fit into my purse for later?" Again, I see you. I've done it. Pretty sure most women who own a purse have done this at some point. No judgement.

But, what is important to realize here is: you have OPTIONS! Oh yes, when you choose to dine out, gone are the dejected cries of "This menu sucks Kathy, let's go to Taco Bell!" and "I'm so glad that I learned to enjoy eating boring-ass, plain kale!"

Nine times out of ten, restaurants have at least a few of the following:

- protein options (chicken, steak, fish, pork, beef, eggs etc)

- salad options (Caesar salad with no croutons, Green salad, Cobb Salad, etc)

- charcuterie boards (loaded with mouth-watering cheeses and meats, and you can waive the breadsticks for an extra surge of willpower-points!)

And hey, if you find yourself running in between work meetings, or chaperoning a minivan full of screaming children...you can totally opt for what I like to call "The Guilt-Free Drive-Thru Experience". This one is a doozy, trust me. It goes like this:

Step 1: Rock up to any drive-thru window, and proceed to order yourself a juicy, sultry, sexy and utterly guilt-free burger wrapped in lettuce. Or, as they say in French: Le Bunless Burger. (They definitely don't say that, and I definitely don't speak French.) You can have it all! Order it with extra cheese, you hedonist. You're allowed to! Isn't it marvelous?!

Step 2: Reap all of the glorious benefits of opting out of the Carbohydrate Overload/Burnout from adding a little green lettuce, and subtracting the beige bun. Step 3: Feel free to exercise your right as a human being to try this at EVERY AVAILABLE DRIVE-THRU WINDOW YOU CAN FIND, and get ready to feel the liberation as it courses through your bun-less veins.

That's the glory of low-carb/high fat/medium protein living - you still get to enjoy the things you love most, like burgers. Hallelujah!

Another social aspect that really grated me during the beginning of my Low-Carb Switchover was: The Explanation Game.

It gets tiresome having to explain to Susanne-With-The-Nice-Teeth why you've decided to break up with heavy carbs. Or say, repeatedly preaching the gospel to others about your dietary choices only to have them fire off a million more questions. As if somehow your food choices personally affect them... like some sort of residual reverse osmosis that is actively taking away their right to eat carbs. It's actually fascinating how much others' tend to "take on" the choices of other humans. We're real weird like that sometimes.

In the case of overly dramatic family members and friends asking "But whyyyyy?", you need only respond with an ice cold stare that would make Christopher Walken proud. People love it when their questions go unanswered, and when said questions are met only with Oscar-winning stares - trust me. It's a scientific fact. You should really try it sometime!

Truly, the social aspects of starting ANYTHING new can be daunting...but with the correct amount of will-power, mental fortuity, a kick-ass attitude and some really good chatter-blocking earplugs... you can totally do this. Practice your Christopher Walken stare in the mirror.

This is a three-part post. Check back for Part 2: Discussing the Financial Aspect of Revamping Your Way of Eating. (Check back for Part 2: Discussing the Financial Aspect of Revamping Your Way of Eating)