Today is Fight Procrastination Day. We’ve all been procrastinators at some point. We put a certain task off because it’s too overwhelming, we don’t want to do it, or it bores us. Housework, for example, is often something I procrastinate doing. But going to keto should not be one of those tasks! Don’t procrastinate, start keto now.
How to Combat Procrastination
There are various ways to fight the urge to procrastinate. National Today gives the example of artist Victor Hugo. He would give his clothing to his assistant and work in his room, naked, so that was all he could do. At a certain time, the assistant would bring back his clothing and he could do something other than work. That’s a bit extreme for most of us.
Personally, I like making to-do lists. I recently learned how to do this on my Notes app on my phone and I am hooked! There is just something so satisfying when you can check something off your list. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and helps motivate me to get to my next task.
I also like giving myself a reward once something I’m dreading is done. For example, if I am putting off doing the litter boxes for our keto cats, I will tell myself that once they are done, I can have a cup of coffee and relax for a few minutes. It helps me kick myself into gear and get it done.
Before We Decided to Start Keto
Bill and I both knew we needed to change our eating habits way before his doctor told him he had to eat keto. We were both severely overweight. I remember going to a Christmas dinner and I was sitting across from him at a table. His buttons were gapping on his shirt. My shirt was feeling too tight and I kept pulling at it. I felt so embarrassed. But was it enough to push through the procrastination and start eating healthier? Nope.
We just kept putting it off. We would buy a whole bunch of junk food to eat on the weekend with the agreement that we would start a new diet on Monday. On a good week, we might stick to it for a day or two, and then we’d start over again the following weekend.
There were lots of excuses. We couldn’t start in the fall – Bill’s birthday is in September. In the winter, the holidays were coming up and we couldn’t give up candy and chocolate during those times. My birthday is in March, so the spring was out. And summer? It’s summer in Canada – we need to enjoy our time…by eating.
When We Had to Start Keto
Then came the day when our choices were taken away from us. Bill was diagnosed with hyperinsulinism. He could start eating keto to keep his insulin levels stable, or he could take pills that would eventually ruin his kidneys. There was no more time to procrastinate. There were no other choices. Yet, even with this information in front of us, it was not easy taking the next steps and starting keto.
There was so much information – some of it accurate, some of it ridiculous. Once we got through a bunch of the research and documentaries and reading and podcasts, we realized that many people probably procrastinated this lifestyle because it was just too complicated. We got into the groove of keto, and decided to write a keto workbook to help people make sense of how to get started.
The Challenges of Procrastination
There will always be challenges with procrastination. As much as I love keto and love the food we eat, getting up and making that food can be a drag. We started getting lazy recently. We’d buy keto desserts from a local bakery. They are delicious, but high in sugar alcohols and not really good for us.
We also started going out for dinner or getting take out more often. That meant we didn’t have leftovers for lunch, so we needed to eat out for lunch as well. The food you get from restaurants is not going to be as healthy as what you can make at home. This habit was getting expensive and we weren’t getting the proper nutrients and vitamins.
We met this challenge of procrastination by getting ourselves back on track with lists and planning. We created a meal plan for the next three weeks, which we can rotate. That means three weeks of not repeating a meal or asking each other, “What’s for dinner?” I made grocery lists from these meal plans so we weren’t going into the grocery store and buying stuff we didn’t need. We’re feeling good again and when you feel good, it’s easier to set aside the procrastination and just do it.
Wendy
