Fit with Fave Week 1: Assemble your Team

Hello and welcome to the very first week of our shiny new blog series, Fit with Fave.  Over the next 30 (yes, 30!) weeks, we’re going to take some baby steps toward overall health.  This is not a diet plan.  It’s not a “lose 10 pounds in 10 days” scheme.  These are significant, sustainable changes to the way we think about and interact with food, and the goal is to make them for keeps.  Because if we can eat good food most of the time, we can eat fun food some of the time.  Winning all the way around.

Each week, Fave and I will hit you with a new food related dare, and you can choose whether to accept our challenge or hang back and wait for the next one.  Each step is a good one, so if you take 2 out of 30 or go for a perfect score, you’ll be moving closer to eating the way that Flavor Fave’s sciency reading has led him to believe is optimal for health and longevity (he wants to live forever, this guy.)  For some of you, many of the dares may be easy, for others, they might seem daunting.  Do what you can.  Anything is good!  I’m with you every step of the way – won’t ask you to do anything I’m not doing myself.

The dares will be small things.  Sometimes, like this week, they won’t have any effect on what you’re eating.  Other weeks, we’ll ask you to “trade up” your salty snacks or swap out some ingredients in your chocolate cake, that sort of thing.  There will be no: fasting, total elimination of food groups or specific ingredients or methods of preparation (none of this “gluten is bad, cooking is bad, carbs are bad, fat is bad, sugar is bad, etc.), meal plan, diet pills, books, or t-shirts.  Sorry about the t-shirts.

All of which brings us to Week 1 and our first dare: assemble your team.  Attempting to make changes to the way you eat is hard, and it’s nearly impossibly hard if the people around you aren’t on board.  So this week, we’re asking you to sit down with your spouse, your housemates, your kids, your friends, whoever it is that you eat with most, and have a chat about your vision for yourself and your family.  Be honest about the whys – why do you want to make some changes?  What are your goals?  What are your limitations?

When Fave first started getting interested in nutrition instead of just making tasty food, I had a bit of a freak out.  I was convinced he was going to decide to go vegan without talking to me, and I just didn’t see being vegan as something that would match my vision for who we are as a family (no offense, you wonderful vegans – I have mad respect.)  I had a strong emotional reaction to the idea of adding that kind of restriction to our diet, and, much to Fave’s surprise, I fought back hard.  It took a lot of conversation for us to land on the same page and arrive at a comfortable compromise that we could work toward together with enthusiasm.  So this week, I’m asking you to have that conversation.

Talk to the people you live with.  Find out what their goals are, if they are willing to “go there” with you, what makes them nervous, what makes them excited.  Ask them for their support.  If you’re trying to eat fewer cupcakes, and your spouse keeps bringing home cupcakes, this ain’t gonna work.

Some good truths to share:

Why you are interested in changing your habits. (Talk about your feeeeeeelings…)

What are you/aren’t you planning to do? (For example: Honey, I’m not saying we can never eat at your favorite restaurant again etc. etc.)

What your expectations are for your partner/housemates/kids/friends – how are you hoping they will help you?

Some good questions to ask:

Wanna do this with me? 😉 (If yes, neat, you’re done.  If not…)

Would you be willing to make some compromises to support me? (Keeping super tempting food you are avoiding out of the house, eating more salad at dinner, go to a different place for your lunch date, that sort of thing)

Will you help keep me accountable to the changes I’m making?

Spend this week getting your house on board – if they are willing to jump in with you, fantastic.  If not, try to arrive at a compromise that keeps them from feeling threatened and leaves you feeling supported.  If you need some tricks, lemme know.  I have some convincing arguments cooked up (But, Honey, I will feel so sexy spectacular when I’m healthier… wink wink nudge wink…Love, healthy folks have stamina to go on long romantic walks and that hike you’ve been wanting to take… nudge nudge wink wink… But Baby, donuts!… wink wink nudge)

Assemble your team!

love.