It may all in your head
Here's one big tip designed to help you quickly leap to success on your plant-based journey by changing the way you talk to yourself. It includes a freebie you can download if you want to get more control over this.
I know how important this awareness of self-talk was in my own journey, and I want to share my hard-won personal experience of success with you.
What I’m talking about are those habitual questions you ask yourself, inside your head, that tend to make you feel stuck or even full-on doubt that you're cut out for plant-based living.
The crazy thing is you likely don’t even know you’re doing it! But if you feel discouraged by your lack of success and are feeling like you’re “not enough” in this plant-based journey (or in your life), you’re probably falling victim to this self-defeating and all-too-common tendency.
Have you guessed it, yet?
What is this culprit that most people will quickly recognize: It’s DOUBT! You know, those doubting questions that buzz and swirl around your head about your ability to make the switch to a plant-based diet.
These doubt-filled questions often start with, “What if I can’t succeed …?” or “How will I possibly be able to do this …?” Are these sounding familiar yet?
The questions we ask ourselves on a moment-to-moment basis determine what we focus on. What we focus on, in turn, determines how we feel. How we feel determines what we do, and most important – what we do determines our level of success.
Once we understand how this process works, we can take action to turn things around for ourselves and find the success we long for.
You’ve simply got to get into the habit of asking yourself better, smarter, and more strategic questions consistently.
If you make even some minor adjustments to your attitudes and habits after reading this article and turn your patterns of doubt into a habit of positivity and confidence, I guarantee before you know it, you’ll have a completely different diet and, yes, a completely different and more successful life.
It doesn’t take much – positivity goes a long way to success.
It’s time to find some ways around doubt
To help you make this change, I’m discussing five of these questions—the kind that can make your heart sink. Together, we’ll turn these doubting questions into healthy questions that will lead you down the road to bigger, better results and success.
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HERE ARE THE FIVE QUESTIONS WE'RE "MAKING OVER."
DOUBTING QUESTION #1:
What if I can’t figure out how to make well-balanced, nutritious, delicious meals?
TURN IT AROUND POSITIVE QUESTION:
- What if I can easily learn to prepare amazing plant-based meals for myself and my family?
- What if I really am teachable, no matter how old I am and no matter how long I’ve been eating unhealthfully?
- What if I can actually make this work over the long haul?
I’ve got some great articles that can help you with this, starting with “Beginner’s Guide to Easy Plant-Based Meal Planning,” as well as “Meal Planning Myths and How to Avoid Them” and “Plant-Based Meal Prep for Busy People: 5 Tips to Keep You Cooking.”
DOUBTING QUESTION #2:
What if it’s just too hard to go plant-based?
TURN IT AROUND POSITIVE QUESTION:
- What if going plant-based is totally doable?
- What if I’m making a mountain out of a molehill, and my mind is totally exaggerating how much effort this is going to take, just because it’s unfamiliar?
Be sure to check out my helpful starter articles, “Getting Started on a Plant-Based Diet: 12 Tips” and “Readers’ Plant-Based Questions Answered.”
DOUBTING QUESTION #3:
What if I don’t lose weight?
TURN IT AROUND POSITIVE QUESTION:
- What if going plant-based works for my healthy weight loss just like it has led to healthy weight loss for many others?
- What if I’m actually no different from these ordinary plant-based folks who’ve successfully achieved their weight loss goals?
You might want to check out this article for help with tendencies to overeat or snack excessively: “Fight Sugar Cravings with Plant-Based Nutrition.”
DOUBTING QUESTIONS #4:
What if I can’t afford to go plant-based? What if it just plain costs too much? What if it’s going to blow my budget?
TURN IT AROUND POSITIVE QUESTION:
- What if cooking my own freshly-made meals at home from whole food ingredients such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes is economical and might even lower my food costs instead of raising them?
For help with affordable plant-based eating, refer to my article, “How to Save Money on a Plant-Based Vegan Diet.”
DOUBTING QUESTION #5:
What if I don’t get the right nutrition?
TURN IT AROUND POSITIVE QUESTION:
- What if a whole food plant-based diet is the healthiest way to eat?
- What if it’s actually hard to go wrong with a diet that our human bodies were designed to follow?
And, if you want to discover more about nutrition on a plant-based diet, "Plant-Based Nutrition: Getting it Right."
Looking Ahead
Let’s get rid of those limiting beliefs and that negative self-talk that’s been holding you back. Those days are over! It’s time to get inspired and raise your health game going forward – and for good.
I promise you if I can do it, so can you! I had just as much doubt as you do, perhaps even more, and I’m happy to say that with persistence and a few “attitude adjustments,” I have turned my diet, health, and, yes, my life around. What are you waiting for?
What questions are swirling around in your head about eating a plant-based diet?
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What if you just can’t stand the taste of plant based foods.
Hey Thomas, That would make it tough. However, are you including grains, beans, fruit and nuts and seeds in your list because these are also plant-based foods? Or, are you thinking that plant-based foods are just vegetables? Some people have an aversion to veggies early in life and may or may not grow past this. You might want to experiment with some of the more popular dishes such as Mac & Cheese or Bean Chili or a fruit smoothie and see how you feel. Small exposures to new foods can help you learn to like them better. I’ve read stories of people disliking something new only to end up loving it later so I definitely think you can learn. It’s worth a try if you want to change your eating habits. I hope that helps a little.
I did this pretty good a few years ago, but then it is as if I came in contact with a huge fan that blew me off course, and it is virtually impossible to get back on track. I think my #1 problem is my husband. He did join me in my efforts early on, and even in doing so I ALWAYS had to cook 2 different meals—ALWAYS. And now it’s even worse. No matter how hard I try to get back on course, he seems to be a deterrent. If I cook 3 times a day, I have to prepare 6 different meals. I love beans he doesn’t. I could eat them for breakfast, he wants eggs and other things. I basically do green smoothies for breakfast, I still have to cook something for him. I can do oatmeal with him, when he wants it. This is a constant. And it makes me crazy. I am constantly thinking about what 2 meals I am going to prepare. I like sweet potatoes, he doesn’t want to eat them. I will prepare portobellos for him with rice and gravy and other veggies, I don’t care for mushrooms, so I fix something else for me. I prepare lentil loaf, he will he a slice, I will have to eat the rest of it myself, but prepare something else for him. I almost want to say forget it, and start shopping for meat again.
I’m so sorry you’re feeling frustrated with your situation! That can be discouraging. You don’t say if your husband eats meat or if he just likes different food than you although I do see he eats eggs. Take a deep breath and look for common ground. Start with making a list of the recipes you both enjoy. Perhaps it’s soup that you can change up each week for variety and have leftovers, making one less day to cook. Or pasta.
If he likes regular potatoes and you like sweet, you can pretty easily roast or bake both kinds fairly easily. I think if you make a weekly plan you might have some success, as well, and then you can keep those that are working for you and repeat after a week or two. Be sure to read my article, “How to Deal with Non-Plant-Based Vegan Partners and Family Members.” It will give you several great suggestions including these two. Keep in mind that while you are indeed what you eat, you and your loved ones are so much more than that! And, as they say, if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again – because you and I both know that your plant-based diet needs to succeed over the long haul! Best of luck and let me know how it’s going.
Amazing article. I had little doubt that going totally whole food plant-based was going to be hard, because it was a gradual process for me that took 35 years. LOL. Some day I have to blog about my process. As for your tips, I can see how many might resonate for those with doubt. Can I share a link to your post at a vegetarian/vegan group I belong to on FB? Please let me know.
Hey Nancy, I’d love to hear about your process as it sounds like you’ve been very successful. Thank you so much for your kind words and you are welcome to share it with your group.