Whether it’s clothes or meals, one-size-fits-all will never provide a perfect fit. From friends to salespeople, the obstacle most mentioned as forestalling adherence to dietary plans is fit. It seems it’s hard to visualize how required dietary changes will fit current lifestyle.
Fit is important. If you’ve tried to squeeze into clothes you want to fit into but can’t, you know how uncomfortable it feels when the fit is wrong. It works the same way when we try to visualize making changes to well-worn patterns that make life feel good to us.
All change causes discomfort. Having a plan to move through that to find a new perfect fit is key to getting past the obstacles within our control.
No matter what sort of plan I’m creating, I begin with the part that is most foundational or most likely to affect everything else. While this is logical, it’s still worth mentioning. If you’re building a wall, you need to know where it goes, what size it will be, what weight it will need to support, and what materials are available long before you decide what color to paint it.
But choosing the color is the fun part. It’s natural to want to skip to the fun part but important to understand why it’s lower priority.
Common foundational priorities include time commitments, access to food, finances, family routines, and family objections. You may have others. Make a list.
Number the list beginning with the thing most likely to prevent you from following a prescribed plan. Once your list is numbered, it’s time to address obstacle Number 1. If it’s time related, explore ways to free up time. Can you delegate a task or reduce social media time? Sometimes, just opting out of notifications makes a big difference.
If food access is an issue, do you have an option to order online or grow food in a community garden? Can you periodically bake and freeze? Do you have neighbors or relatives who can pick up items for you?
Work your way down the list on paper before trying changes out in real life. Why? Because writing down a plan, numbering priorities, and revising the plan if you see obvious inconsistencies feels less daunting and has lower stakes than upending real life. A written process also gives you time to adjust to the idea of change so discomfort can begin to ease.
Once a plan for foundational outer obstacles is in place, address any internal resistance. Internal resistance may be present in expectations, attitude, emotional attachment, anxiety, physical addiction, and fear. Again, you may have other internal struggles that affect progress. Make a list.
Number the list in the order of whatever is most likely to prevent you from following a prescribed plan. Write it down. Again, the writing process slows things down and gives you an opportunity to feel and work through issues that hinder progress.
For internal adjustments, the writing may begin to take on a form akin to journaling. Pulling internal struggles out into the light has its own inherent healing property. Another benefit is you’re establishing a beginning point from which to measure change.
Through listing, prioritizing, writing, and rewriting, you’ll be able to develop a plan that removes some obstacles, works around others, and takes a shape that will eventually fit you well. The time you invest in the plan can help you stay true to your commitment when you integrate the plan into real life.
Life is unpredictable. A plan helps with focus and provides a way to deal with new obstacles when they pop up. Once you have a plan in place, put it to work. Determine a period of time during which you’re willing to commit to implementing your plan. Begin.
The line of progress may not be straight. The process may not look like you expect or hope. But it is possible to design a perfect fit.
