I fail.  A lot.  Sometimes it’s embarrassing.  (Most of the time it’s embarrassing, actually.)

I may fail, but I don’t give up.  Change tactics?  Yes.  Lay low for a bit?  Yes.  Learn new ideas?  Absolutely.  Redirect myself appropriately?  Yep.

When it comes to eating the best I can for “The Machine,” I’ve made a lot of excuses.  I’ve heard a lot of excuses.   I thought it would be fun to come up with as many as I can that I’ve used or heard.

Because the bottom-line is we have people who love us.  We have jobs to do.  We have futures to live.  If we don’t eat right, we’ll be spending our later days at doctors’ appointments with our blood sugar logs.  In as much as I have a choice, I will choose life.  A full, active life of love and service.

They keep changing healthy.  Sure they might.  So ignore them and eat real, whole food.  (We’re hacking out the definition of healthy here at this blog.  So far we have:  Eat like you’re in the Garden of Eden–with a stove.  Let that guide your food choices.  And let’s keep honing that definition so all people can understand what real food is.)

I don’t have time.  I don’t think it’s that we “don’t have time.”  I think we’ve become accustomed to the convenience and taste-pop of fast processed foods.  Like we’ve become accustomed to a remote; it’s a pain when the remote is lost.  Watch Dad when the TV remote is lost.

There is bad food everywhere.  Yes, there is.  There are bathrooms everywhere too.

My husband eats bad.  My wife eats bad.  Try separating your food.  Like you did with your college roommate.

My kids won’t eat it.  Most all kids are fussy eaters.  They just are.

I’m so hungry all the time.  There’s a few science things here.  Your body has to adjust to new ways of eating.  The bacteria in your gastrointestinal tracts are used to getting fed exactly how you feed them!  When they don’t get what they’re used to, they send out distress signals via chemicals, to try to get you to go back to eating those old things.  As you continue to choose whole, real foods, the bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract change.  Besides the bacteria, your own cells are used to the chemical mixture created by what you eat.  When certain hormones go up or down with a change in diet, your brain goes crazy!  It’s worried about you!   So, yes, as you transition to Garden food, you may feel hungry.  Try upping protein and fat to help bridge you over, then play with “macro-nutrients” later once you’re used to real food.

I’m sad.  I’m an emotional eater.  Is that so?  Then, to start working on food issues, you’d better start working on your deeper psychological issues.  There is NO shame in seeing a counselor to help guide you through knowledge of your self.

I need a plan.  Yes, you do.  But more than a plan, you need courage and tenacity to follow that plan.  Later, you’ll need self-awareness to tweak that plan especially for you.  The plan has to be malleable for life.

Every time I try to do better, I do worse.  Self-defeat.  I believe you don’t believe deep down that you’re worthy of positive change in your life.

It won’t work anyhow.  Unfortunately, a plan that’s not followed won’t work.  And a plan that is not continued will not work.  That’s why it HAS to be a plan that is real and malleable.  And you HAVE to get rid of the self-defeat talk and stick with it for life.

I have a horrible sweet tooth.  There are many thoughts on this, you’ll see.  I’ve come from this place.  If I eat one cookie, I am GUARANTEED to eat six or eight or as many cookies as there are left.  When others say, “It’s too sweet and rich,” I’m asking if there are seconds. Many people find that if they eat whole, real food long enough and avoid baked goods, their sweet tooth wanes.  I have found this to be true.  I stopped baking for a long time, and I didn’t eat baked goods.  That was hard.  For me, it was just best to “cut it off.”  Saying “no” became lots easier.  When I eat sweets, I still will eat eight cookies.  But just not very often.  Scientifically, almond flour, arrowroot, (white flour and white sugar) and so on, I just don’t see them as life-giving, cancer-fighting foods.  Other people have learned that just a little sweet treat each day keeps them doing well.  Work with yourself.  But be honest.

I can’t eat just one.  Then it may be wise to choose none.

I have to eat out all the time.  No.  You must carry your lunch.  You must find a grocery store to pick up food from.  The oils, cuts of meat, added sugar, and so on that are used at restaurants is almost always sub-par.  You are much better off eating what you prepare.

I don’t actually eat that bad.  Write it down.  Circle anything from a box or anything processed.

I get diarrhea when I eat that way.  Try eating vegetables cooked.  Try avoiding vegetables and fruits known as FODMAPS.  Try adjusting more slowly.

It’s cheap.  It is.  But it’s not cheap in the long run.  Diabetes strips and copays are so expensive.

Everybody does it.  That does not make it right.  And it will be hard.  But you can do it.

It helps me feel good.  In the short-term, it may.  Certain foods temporarily boost “feel-good” chemicals.

It makes a social situation better.  If you’re in good company, broiled fish tastes great.  Examine your company.

You’re a victim.  Sometimes, day-in and day-out things feel just too hard.  Often, we can’t change the environment, but almost always we can change our mindset.

Don’t give up.  If you give up, you lose.  Learn from your mistakes and failures and do it again.  And if you have someone you want to help, come at it with compassion.

Have any “excuses” I left out?

Terri