Introduction

I have been badly suffering from an autoimmune condition for more than 30 years now. I tried all possible medications and diets recommended by my doctors. However, I still had to go through many heavy surgeries and my condition has not improved significantly.

While doing some research on which unexplored treatment I could start, I found information on how food impacts your body and can either help or worsen your health. I discovered then that everything I had been told for 30 years in terms of diet for my condition might have actually worsened it.

It looks like a lot of conditions can be better controlled thanks to an adequate food intake: in the wide panel of available diets on the market, I found one that is definitely worth trying for me. It is specific to autoimmune diseases, exactly what I need. Great news you would say!!! In fact, not that great as this is one thing to find the right diet and another one to be ready to go for it.

Making Myself Ready For Change

This can take quite some time and starts with introspection. You know deep inside yourself that going for this diet means feeling better but also agreeing to concessions. You know you’ll have to give up some daily pleasures. How to get ready for this?

So I’ve started eliminating some food just to see what it feels like and how it goes, but I know deep inside that if I want to benefit from this diet I have to go for it as a whole or not at all. There is no possible cheating or cutting corners when you are following a diet that is supposed to make your condition better.

At the same time, the diet center keeps sending me daily emails, trying to convince me this is the diet i need… but I am convinced already, I am just not ready to change yet.

I felt the same way 12 years ago when I started considering quitting smoking. This is exactly the same process, you know it will be good for your health but you like it too much to quit!!!

Going for a strict diet works exactly the same way, you need to be ready to accept the changes in your head first, otherwise you set yourself to fail.  

There are many ways to get ready for this kind of huge changes. My way of doing it, that proved to work when I quit smoking, is the one I plan to run to get ready for the diet:

• Talk. First I will start talking about it at work, at home, to my friends. letting them know that I am considering going through a diet. Sharing out loud to others is self engaging and committing.

• D day. With confidence growing I will decide on a starting date and stick to it. It can be in 2 weeks or in 2 months but at least the date is set and shared with everybody. Countdown starts and I know how long I have to get ready for the big change.

Setting Myself For Success

Now that i know when i will start the diet, I need to make sure I do everything I can to make this change a success: 

• Motives. I will write down on paper the reasons why i want to start this diet. Keep this paper close to me, stick it on the fridge, read it everyday and when in doubt.

• Success stories: I will read testimonials of people already experiencing it, share my concerns with them directly or in social media.

• ‘Can do’ support group: I will try and keep in touch with these people to get their support in challenging situations. I will also build my own support group at home, at work and with friends to share success and seek support when needed.

• Step by step approach: focus on getting information about the diet, recipes, tips and plan. The more I will know about the process the better the chances of success..

In order to maximize the chances of success, I have decided to go for a program that not only is based on a diet that fits my condition but also provides support and recipes all along the way. This kind of diet can be very tough and sometimes even though your family and friends are supportive, you might not want to be a burden and prefer sharing your concerns with professionals who are here to give you the appropriate support and tips. Being coached while going through a diet dramatically increases one’s chances to succeed.  Going through a tough diet can be hard so you don’t want to get a chance to fail and have to start it all over again.

About the author: Isa is a Migraine Buddy Coach and runs Migraine Buddy Food & Lifestyle Coaching program