Changing your mindset can help you be successful for the long term in the Trim Healthy Mama Lifestyle. Changing your mindset doesn’t just mean changing your mind about your ability to do something, although that is so important. Changing your mindset also means that your mind is setting up a new framework that takes you where you want to go, in this case to Trim and Healthy! Today’s blog post is about giving up sugar and flour and all of those harmful things you might be having a hard time letting go of. I believe in following a step by step process to achieving a goal. It’s logical and it gets results.
Give up sugar and flour in five steps:
STEP 1 – Get the right mindset! Henry Ford said, “If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” Your brain literally believes what you tell it, and science is finding more evidence of this all the time. So here is the first step: tell yourself, “Sugar and flour are harmful to me, and I do not want or need them.” The more you tell yourself that, preferably aloud, the more your brain will believe it.
STEP 2 – Make a list of all the things you eat and drink on a regular basis that spike your blood sugar, or are inherently unhealthy.
STEP 3 – Come up with an alternative that is at least palatable to you right now. It does NOT have to taste as good to you right now as the bad for you stuff (see examples from my life below). Your tastes WILL change over the coming weeks, and the healthier things that you could barely tolerate at first, will start to taste great!!! I promise. You can choose to replace one thing at a time or jump in feet first and replace everything at once. I’m an all-in kind of person, so I just jumped in feet first.
STEP 4 – Stop bringing the Kryptonite into your home. If you know that the presence of a particular item will be too tempting (for me it’s potato chips), don’t buy it! Now I know you all have families, so try to find things your family likes that you won’t be tempted by. I am not in the slightest bit tempted by pretzels and crackers, so that’s what I bring in for the kids. Do NOT expect your family to get on board when you do! In other words don’t go through the cabinets and toss all of the bad stuff. Otherwise there will be a mutiny! And you don’t need that while you’re changing your way of eating. Put the oxygen mask on yourself first and then help your family. Try to make this gradual for them.
STEP 5 – Expect the detox. You’ve been eating this toxin (sugar and flour) for a long time. Your body will rebel for a bit. Be ready for the following symptoms: headache, fatigue, weakness, muscle aches, etc. I try to frame it this way to keep it positive: “YAY! Toxins are leaving my body. I’ll feel so much better in a few days, and when it’s over I won’t be as tempted to eat sugar or junk food.” Do make sure to drink lots of water to flush out all of those toxins.
Kate’s Unhealthy Habits to Healthy Replacements
I hope that if you are struggling with the sugar monster that you will give these steps a try! They really do work. You truly are just five steps away from a healthier life, free of sugar and flour.
