Dietary fads have been around forever, and have gained false levels of credibility, and incidentally, popularity as people try and grab on to the new and easiest quick diet fix in order to reach their desired results. In 2019, we have no doubt been the victim of endless campaigns that try and sell us this pill or that smoothie as a means to a perfectly healthy and fit lifestyle. Just as there is no easy approach to recovery from addiction, there is no easy approach to health and fitness. Dietary trends are just that, trends; they are short term solutions (at best) that purport to solve a long term problem that can actually only be achieved through a commitment to redirecting our perceptions about how to approach healthy eating.
While there may be an infinite number of ways we can look at how to engage in healthy dieting, there are only a few perspectives that are actually advantageous in the long run. First, we need to examine our current habits in order to figure out what aspects are not productive in order to “cut the fat” both literally, and figuratively in the sense that we need to dispense with unnecessary and unproductive habits. Secondarily, we need to come up with a plan that is sustainable. While the keto diet (high protein and fat/no to low carbs) has some real and lasting health benefits, we need to ask ourselves if we are willing and able to give up sugars and carbohydrates as this is an extremely difficult measure that requires commitments and extensive knowledge of nutrition. Early on in our reconfiguration of we begin to look at dieting, we need to identify what negative foods we can afford to cut out, and what foods that add value to our diet that can be integrated without too much disruption that leads to a failure in compliance. The parallels to dieting and recovery from addiction are markedly similar because both endeavors are a long-term journey where we maintain adherence to specific and beneficial rules, while combining old strategies with new knowledge, in order to lay the foundation for achieving the most possible success. We cannot afford to treat diet as an ancillary domain that doesn’t require as much attention and effort as does our recovery because fostering positive habits in one facet, helps to affirm the continuation of these habits in the other domain. Diet and recovery are not destinations; they are challenging experiences that iterate themselves through time, and throughout our lives, and the adherence to our rules and values in both areas can predict long-term success. Don’t fall for the fashionable fads, but rather, begin to harvest a diet that is sustainable, healthy, and one that can be adhered to over time. We need to be patient and work to give ourselves a chance; we are worth it.
Tree House Recovery of Orange County, California is a premier men’s addiction treatment facility that uses eight different modalities to help our men become the best versions of themselves they can be. We teach our men that every day of their journey is something to celebrate, and that recovery isn’t a sprint– it’s a marathon. By showing our men how to celebrate each day’s victories, we show them that self love isn’t about what we have or haven’t done. It’s about getting a little closer to where we want to be. To get started with Tree House Recovery, call us today at (855) 202-2138.
