5 Days Post-Detox

Today's Lesson:

Finding your new normal, part 2

Yesterday we looked at two common approaches to life post-detox. Today we’ll look at two more.

Scenario 3: “Why would I keep following your rules when I can make my own rules now?”

Post-21DSD, you feel glad that you did it—it was worth it and based on sound reasoning—but now you’re unsure why you’d continue many of the habits you changed while on the program. Yes, they made sense for the purposes of the 21DSD, but you wonder if all of those rules and restrictions really make sense for you in the long term.

Your best bet: Decide which healthy habits you want to stick to and continue to read up on why avoiding sugar and foods like wheat and soy, for example, is something worth perpetuating. I highly recommend grabbing a copy of Practical Paleo, second edition, and reading the first part of the book; it’ll answer all of your questions about why you’d eat primarily real, whole foods for a lifetime.

Scenario 4: “I go by how I feel. I don’t do things because of rules, whether my own or yours.”

Post-21DSD, you feel proud that you stuck with the program as you said you would, and it wasn’t because anyone else wanted you to. The rules of the program felt neither overly strict or overly easy, because you really chose to be “in it” for the three weeks. Now you’re wondering what you really want to do moving forward. Do I want to eat this way? Do I want to use some of these tools and not others? Which parts of this program feel right for me long-term and which don’t?

Your best bet: Identify what it is about completing this program and eating healthfully in general makes you feel like you. Is it that your energy is higher, and a high-energy person is who you are (and want to be)? Does making healthy choices make you feel like you’re putting your best foot forward in the world? For me, knowing that I’m a healthy person who eats mostly real, whole foods keeps me grounded in a lifestyle that’s largely sugar-free, while I am able to sometimes enjoy a treat without going out of control.

The Dish from Diane:

By now, you really know yourself well—or at least far better than you did before this detox! It’s completely okay to follow rules more often than not if that’s what feels comfortable, easy, and less stressful for you. But if rules make you constantly want to break them, then perhaps the concept of “guiding principles” or simply “deal breakers” is more your speed. For me, processed junky food made from poor-quality flours (refined white flour), sweeteners (corn syrup), and oils (soybean or canola) are simply always a no. Find what’s always a no for you, and live your life by the rules or guidelines that make you feel your best!

Today's Checklist:

  • Reintroduce a food and track how you respond to it.

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