This morning, I was offered some free breakfast at work. I turned it down and said, “Thank you, but I don’t eat breakfasts right now. I’m doing IF.” Admittedly, that’s far more information than I should have given, and I have decided from now on, I’ll leave that last sentence off. But I said it, and I had to deal with the consequences. “What’s IF?” I explained intermittent fasting, to which she replied, “Oh, I could never do that.”

I bit. I asked why. She said, “Because I would get too light-headed.” I told her that I had the same fear, and that sure, the first day was tough, but it got better. She didn’t want to hear it. “There’s no way I could ever do that” and I was literally waved off.

The reason I am writing this is not because it’s a new experience or because I’ surprised. I’m writing about it because it made me realize something I’ve been doing and I never quite realized it. I have finally gotten to the point where I don’t dismiss things without trying them first. I won’t give up on making myself better, finding a more efficacious diet plan, or a better lifestyle without trying something new first. If it doesn’t work for me, that’s fine. I’m okay with that, because I tried.

I know some people who tried Whole30, Paleo, IF, Keto, and others and couldn’t make it work for them. They tell me that they failed at these diets with sadness or disappointment. I tell them, “That’s cool. Don’t be upset. You tried something and it didn’t work. Now you know what doesn’t work; find what DOES work for you!” Undertaking a new lifestyle is a big step, and one size does not fit all. Sure, it’s based on science, but we are all different in our genetic makeup. It may take a few tries to find the right diet for you. I’m fortunate that I found Whole30 and Paleo, and now I’m augmenting Paleo with IF. It works for me. That’s not to say it will work for you. You need to do the work to find the winning combination for your life. Just don’t give up before you even try.