What to Expect:
You may experience: Feeling overwhelmed by how much time is involved in food prep.
Your best bet: Remember that there are tons of easy, 21DSD-friendly recipes online, and in The 21-Day Sugar Detox Daily Guide, The 21-Day Sugar Detox, and The 21-Day Sugar Detox Cookbook. For additional resources and links, visit 21DSD.com/dailyguide.
Today's Lesson:
Unsupportive friends and family
Not everyone will support your decision to do the 21-Day Sugar Detox, and the lack of support can turn otherwise fun occasions, from holiday get-togethers to office parties, into stressful events. When you’re faced with critical friends or family members, it’s important to consider the reason behind their lack of support.
Whether it’s a well-meaning grandmother, a curious but skeptical coworker, a disappointed parent, a vegan or vegetarian uncle, a doctor cousin, or even your best buddy who’s been with you since your beer-and-pizza days, there’s always an underlying, more complete reason for their lack of support. Once you identify the reason behind their disapproval, you can plan how to handle your interactions with this person going forward. For a lot more on this, review pages in The 21-Day Sugar Detox Daily Guide book on the mindset of change and having a positive attitude.
Some quick tips for dealing with unsupportive friends and family:
- Keep your mindset positive and avoid complaining about tough moments during your detox.
- Be proactive in as many situations as possible, such as selecting the restaurant where you’ll dine out together.
- Focus on your “why” and your own goals for completing the 21DSD.
- Remind them that your desire to make these changes is only about you, not about them, and that you aren’t asking them to make the same changes.
- Deflect conversations that may become critical of your choices, and if it comes up, quickly change the subject to something less heated or emotional.
- Avoid commenting on their choices (particularly around food) so that you’re not encouraging this type of communication between you.
- Set yourself up for success with support and accountability outside of the unsupportive network.
The Dish from Diane:
When you decide to make changes in your life, there will always be some objectors or naysayers. Heck, even people who are very close to you may try to bring you down. Dig your heels in! You’ve got this, and the reason you decided to tackle the 21DSD has nothing to do with them— so don’t let them get in your way. Are they in your body every day, feeling what you feel? No. No one else is responsible for the way you choose to live your life, not even someone you share your life with, like your spouse. Your choices are solely your own, and you get to make them as you need to. You’re a capable adult, and you’re doing what’s best for you for three weeks. Remember, you don’t need anyone’s approval to decide to make positive changes in your own life—you only need to decide for yourself that it’s what you want, then make it happen.
Today's Checklist:
- Prepare your script. If people around you aren’t supportive, be ready with your script! See the section on mindset in The 21-Day Sugar Detox Daily Guide book for simple ways to handle each scenario that may arise.
- Post to social media using the hashtag #21DSD about your day 9 meals and experience. If you’ve got a tip for others on how you handle the naysayers, share it!
For even more support, visit the Online Facebook Community!