Seventy-Five Days

I’m celebrating 75 days of eating #plantstrong today. It seems weird to write that down. Time has flown by seems cliché to say and yet the days have passed so quickly. The results have been my own and it hasn’t been perfect (what is)but it has been one of the best personal decisions I’ve ever made.

THE RESULTS

Days: 75
Weight loss: 29 lbs
Waist loss: 2 inches

At a later time I might share more detail at a later time for those interested (I am keeping a daily journal of thoughts, exercise and food in a personal journal) but to keep this as digestable as a good whole-food plant-based meal I wanted to share three things that have been key to my success thus far:

FOCUS ON THE VISION NOT THE GOAL

From the beginning I have been focused on a larger vision than weight loss. The weight was merely a measure of success. If I remained focused on a larger vision the weight would take care of itself. My vision was simple and direct:

Be able to look my children in the eye on my last day of life and know I did all I could do to be there as long as I could control.

Corbin, Emily & Maddox

That thought follows me throughout the day and I love that my kids get to see the food I am choosing to eat. I also purposefully choose to workout whenever possible during the day so that they can see me make that choice.

Being focused on something larger than a goal has made the goal an indicator that is merely an expected outcome and has kept me focused on each small decision rather than the outcome.

PLAN THE WORK . . . WORK THE PLAN

It’s not my quote but we’ve used it daily to ensure we had high quality meals to keep us focused on the vision. Before starting on this journey I made certain that I had access to a number of recipes and quickly invested in richroll’s meal Plant Power Meal Planner. Finding good food that was both delicious and fast to make made sticking to the plan easy. We didn’t think about what we needed to make or how to do it. We picked something that sounded good, was easy and then made sure that the food was available. Don’t reinvent the wheel. There are websites and programs that cost only a few dollars a week. It’s an investment in your vision and well worth it.

TELL EVERYONE TO BUILD ACCOUNTABILITY

Once we decided to make this change I told everyone what I was doing. I wasn’t trying to garner applause or draw attention to myself rather I was building accountability. My co-workers, fellow scoutmasters, friends and family all knew what it meant to eat a whole-food, plant-based diet. I didn’t need them to like it or change. Their awareness of my decision was enough for me to feel comfortable refusing their food for my own. Sharing my decision allowed me the opportunity to talk more about my vision and discuss the “why” behind my decision which further cemented my desire to change.

Regardless of what you want to change or start you need a clear and detailed vision, a plan that you will stick to and a large set of accountability partners to push you. Here’s to the journey of change!