A Failure Turns In To A Success

So I had the brilliant idea to do something called the Whole 3o. For any of you not familiar with this, it is a 30 day detox plan based of off the currently super popular Paleo diet that focuses on primal eating. Meat, fish, eggs, nuts, vegetables, some fruit. No grains, dairy, beans, alcohol, or sugar of any kind. NONE. 

Now let me just tell you all now that I love carbs. No really, I mean I. love. carbs.

And I also love soda. I know, I know. It’s terrible for you. I’ve been addicted to the sugary goodness for as long as I can remember with a few periods of no soda over the years. I really don’t crave any other sweets…just soda.

So doesn’t this sound like a brilliant plan? Put the girl who loves carbs and sugary soda on a Whole 30 plan.

My. most. brilliant. idea. ever.

So I’m sure you can all see where this is going. I made it through about 36 hours. I was doing so great. My fridge was full of healthy foods. I was trying new recipes and actually eating vegetables.

And then..

I ate a grilled cheese.

I couldn’t take it anymore. All I wanted was a grilled cheese. It’s all I could think about. I was going through some serious soda and carb withdrawal and all I could keep thinking was, “come on, they ate grains in the Bible. It can’t be that bad, right?!”

So what did I do? I made a grilled cheese. And let me tell you, it was the best grilled cheese I’ve ever eaten. Hands down.

Now you may look at this and think, “Well she failed that plan.” And I was tempted to look at it this way too.

But what I quickly realized was that it didn’t have to be a failure. It didn’t have to be an “all or nothing” thing. I’ve spent most of my life thinking of things as “all or nothing” and when I would fail on one point I would feel like “well I might as well throw in the towel, I’ve already messed it up.”

So this time, I decided to keep pushing forward.

I am now on day 7 of no soda. NONE. Those of you that know me know how truly amazing this is.

I’m also eating WAY more vegetables. Probably more than I’ve ever eaten in my whole 29 years of life.

I’m watching how many carbs I eat and how much sugar I consume so that my blood sugar doesn’t quite yo yo so much.

I’m struggling through the sugar and caffeine withdrawal headaches and the low energy that comes with resetting my diet and the way I eat. But I won’t give up. Even if I make a mistake; even if I slip up. I’ve realized that my failure can turn in to a success right before my eyes if I’m willing to persevere. 

So whether you are trying to change your diet and loose weight or you are trying to conquer some other personal goal, please don’t give up. Don’t let yourself have an “all or nothing” mentality. If you find yourself staring at a “failure”, realize that it can still be a success as long as you keep pushing forward and trying.