Solving Desire
When we make the decision to live a ketogenic lifestyle, the only "problem" we will ever have to solve is desire.
Desire is not a problem when it pulls us toward the things that improve us in some way but becomes a problem when it lures us to do things that move us farther away from our goals. Every time we have ever quit or given up on a goal it is because we gave into a desire.
Desire seems to "happen" upon us. When desire is present then we struggle to "be good".
We can manage it with will-power or distraction but this is only a temporary fix. Both of these strategies do not work because the desire is still there underneath. Unless we address it and remove it all together, we will always be doing battle with it.
If you are struggling to stay on a ketogenic diet then the enemy is carbs. Can you imagine a world where you truly don't want them? No more struggle, no more working hard to "be good". No more worrying about going out to dinner and wondering if you will be strong enough to pass up the chips or the bread. Wouldn't that be great?
What if I were to tell you that this is absolutely possible?
We have the ability to retrain our brain to remove desire.
For over 20 years I was a smoker on and off (but mostly on). I can't tell you how many times I "quit" over these years. Every time I quit I went back. Why? Because underneath the quit was still very strong desire for them. I was just using "will power" to remain a non-smoker every day. Eventually, life would happen and my will-power would dissolve and I would make the decision to just have one but that NEVER was the case. One would lead to a pack and a pack would lead to becoming a full blown smoker again. It was always a slippery slope. I didn't want to WANT them any more. I knew how bad they were and I knew they were killing me but this still didn't matter. I needed to figure it out.
Then one day everything changed.
I came across the book "Easy Way to Quit Smoking (Without Willpower)" by Allan Carr. This book taught me how to completely remove the desire for cigarettes. Once I learned the process, quitting was really easy!
It has been 6 years and I have never wanted another one to this day. Not even once.
As we all know, carbs are just as addictive as cigarettes. The process I went through when I quit smoking can absolutely be applied here.
So what is the process? In a nutshell, these are the steps:
Recognize It:
Get good at knowing when you are feeling the desire. How does it feel in your body? How would you describe the feeling to an alien who does not have emotions?
Get curious about it.
This is a good time to grab a journal and write about it. I call it "doing the headwork".
Why did it come up? Why does it feel so strong? Does it feel like it just "happened" to you? What was the thought you had right before the feeling came up? Are you feeling a negative emotion that you think this would solve? Was it a result of some kind of trigger?
Find the truth:
What does your brain offer as a reason to give in? THIS IS THE THING YOU NEED TO DEBUNK. Is this reason true? Do you really HAVE to eat the cupcake because someone made it just for you? Do you really "deserve" to take a break because you've had a hard day? Does eating it really make you feel better? Be as open minded and honest as possible.
Stop feeding it:
Our dopamine receptors are out of whack and need to be repaired. When I smoked, every inhale of the tobacco kept the craving for nicotine alive. My dopamine receptors needed nicotine to feel normal. It's the same with carbs. Every time we give in and eat the carbs we keep the craving for them alive. The only way to repair our broken brain is to stop feeding the "carb monster". It will die when starved.
Repeat:
This takes practice and time but it works. Do the headwork every day. Get really good at recognizing what your body and brain are telling you and soon you will notice that things get easier and easier.
As always, I am here to help.
Happy Ketoing!
Kim the Keto Coach
Book an appointment with me at: www.calendly.com/happilyketo
Visit my website: www.theketomindset.com