There are so many reasons to stop eating right. I am sure you know what I’m talking about. We’ve all been there (me too!). Our day is filled with temptation, people who would rather we don’t make them feel bad by eating right, self-doubt, and sometimes a lack of motivation. How do we get past it? How do we succeed in the face of all this discouragement?

• Ignore it.
• Use it as a source of strength.
• Learn from it.

Let’s break it down into two groups: external forces and internal forces. An external force can be a person who calls you out for eating “Weird,” or tells you that the diet you are on is bad for you, is ranked as the worst ever, isn’t ever going to work, is not based on science, is going to kill you, etc. Often, these people are really looking at themselves and projecting their own fears and embarrassment onto you. They don’t want to be reminded that they are unhealthy or overweight, so they will do what they can to sabotage you. Some of these people may come in the form of your closest friends or family members. The sad part is that they may not even know they are doing this consciously. I have learned to ignore these people and I use their derision as a source of strength. I vowed to “Show them” in a positive way. Two and a half years later, I not longer catch grief from friends or family about my diet, but strangers and some co-workers still persist.

Internal forces are your own doubts and insecurities. They can manifest with depression, cravings, or caving into temptation. This is all natural and normal. I had many experiences during my weight loss journey where I didn’t know if I was doing the right thing or if I was going to lose weight temporarily only to regain it and then some. In the beginning, I didn’t yet know about focusing on the things I COULD eat instead of the things I couldn’t, so I spent a lot of time missing certain carb-rich foods. I learned from that, though, and I adjusted my mind to think positively. Whenever I faced a challenge, I would look at it and find a solution and try to learn from it to keep from making the same mistake twice.

Learning a new lifestyle or diet takes practice, takes time, and takes perseverance. We have to get past a lot of obstacles, some external, and sadly, many internal. It’s a mind game, and regardless of the source, we need to learn to put these challenges away, learn from them, and to persevere in spite of them. The world is full of discouragement. Turn it around and find things to be positive about and focus on them instead.

When it comes to Whole30 and the Paleo Diet, there is a lot more to be positive about! Just check out my wife Sherry’s blog! She has a bunch of recipes on there that have completely changed our lives and allowed us to live happier, healthier lives.