Focus on the CAN and not the CAN’T
This week has been an eventful and significant one for me. Two things have happened about which I am very proud. When I started blogging a year and a half ago, I never could have imagined that I would have such a following of people who enjoy and appreciate my writing. I have received some wonderful e-mails. People have shared with me how my posts have taught them so much and inspired them to get healthy and lose weight. I am humbled and very grateful that I am making a difference in people’s lives.
So, the first thing that happened this week was my blog stats showed I had received 100 000 hits to my site. Why was this significant for me? Over the past year I have had my moments of doubt. Could I really keep it up? Would I have enough to write about each week? When life got very busy for me, I wondered whether my blog was just adding more stress into my already stressed life. I decided however to focus on what I CAN do in relation to my writing, instead of what I CAN’T. I can’t always send out a post each and every week, but I can manage every second week or so. This attitude has enabled me to keep going and doing what I love doing – empowering others with information so they can improve their health.
The second thing that happened this week is that I broke through a weight barrier that I have been trying to break for many years. This is INCREDIBLY HUGE for me! Granted I have only just broken it, but I have broken it none the less. I am now the “lightest” I have been in 10 years. I am so glad that over the years of seriously struggling with my weight that I decided to persevere. What has kept me going was the idea that even if I can’t be thin, I can be healthy. So even though the weight loss goals weren’t always achieved in the time I would have liked, I have never felt so healthy. Going grain and sugar-free (low carb) and cutting out inflammatory vegetables oils from my diet has revolutionised my health and energy levels like nothing ever has before.
I suppose what I am trying to say in a round about way, is that even though it seems like you are taking baby steps, they do still add up to something significant eventually. You will look back and say, “Gosh, I have actually come a long way. I am so glad I kept going.” Don’t under-estimate what you can achieve by focusing on what you CAN do instead of what you CAN’T.
The same principle applies to the Banting way of eating. If you constantly focus on what you CAN’T eat instead of all the delicious and nourishing food you CAN eat, then you will struggle to adopt this way of eating as a lifestyle and you will miss out on all the wonderful benefits this diet has to offer. Don’t see the eating plan as restrictive, but be glad that you can eat a wonderfully diverse range of animal protein, veggies and health-promoting fats such as butter and coconut oil.
I have definitely learned some valuable lessons through my own struggles with my weight and my health. There CAN be a blessing in every hardship. You just have to open your eyes wide enough to see it.
I will leave you with two questions. What are you struggling with at the moment? and Are you focussing on what you CAN’T do, or on what you CAN? I hope that your struggles will turn into your greatest and most valuable life lessons. May your achievements (however small), be something you can be proud of one day, because you made the decision to say “I CAN” instead of “I CAN’T“.
Posted on October 11, 2014, in Primal 101 and tagged Banting diet, health issues, inspiration, struggles, struggles to lose weight. Bookmark the permalink. 9 Comments.
Primal Perks 
Well done Nicky- do you know why your weight has finally shifted. I have been Banting for a year now and can’t seem to shift my weight
I was diagnosed with PCOS and after doing some of my own research I asked my doctor to prescribe me Glucophage to control my high insulin and blood sugar which results from having PCOS and also makes is next to impossible to lose weight. It is only since taking these meds that my weight is shifting. A very low carb diet was not enough for my body. A hormonal imbalance can seriously impact weight loss in a negative way.
Dear Nicky
Thank you so incredibly much for the inspiration that you provide to all of us on a weekly basis. I have only been banting for 5 weeks, but feel so much better for it. . As a physiotherapist, I am intrigued by how the body responds to exercise and the way it recovers. When I saw how incredibly fast your husband consistently recovered physically despite his extreme running, I knew that he was on to something. 6 weeks ago, I was taking anti-inflammatories daily due to chronic joint pain. I was in pain daily and felt very frustrated that despite trying to exercise and eat well, I had no relief. At one point I was taking 4-6 pain killers a day just to get through my daily work as a physio.
Reading your blog and looking at the links from there to MDA, made me decide to try LCHF. Within a week, I had a 75% reduction in joint pain and I have not taken a pain killer in 5 weeks. Furthermore, I have actually played tag ( and caught) my 10 year old twins for the first time ever!! In the past, my joint pain made running of any sort impossible and I felt like very old Mom. Now I run up and down the sand dunes with them on the beach and have started doing weight training again. I have lost 10 pounds (4kgs) and look forward to losing 10 more.
I told my vegetarian sister about your blog and she is now “ranting banting”. As a breast cancer survivor, she is fascinated by the link between sugar and cancer and is convinced that it will help her stay healthy in the long run. Her husband is an avid cyclist and has had a huge reduction in his allergies and breathing problems since banting.
You are an excellent writer and have a wonderfully witty way of hitting the nail on the head with your comments. Please know that on a “down” day, coming to your blog is an instant “pick-me-up” that is a gift indeed. Knowing that your path has not been easy, makes you all the more human and believable and makes a little plateau here and there seem insignificant.
So please keep blogging and sharing – you are an inspiration!! Regards, Jenny A
Jenny, thanks for your wonderful feedback. Your health improvements are incredible and I wish you continued success with Banting. You might want to consider taking a very potent probiotic every day as well as L-Glutamine. All those pain meds and anti-inflammatory drugs have probably left you with a damaged gut and these supplements can help a lot. Here is a link to another post where I talk about leaky gut https://primalperks.com/2014/03/14/the-healing-power-of-lchf/#more-1755
WELL DONE TO A LOVELLY PERSON –
Congratulations Nicky on all your achievements. I echo Jenny’s comment above – you are an inspiration!
Congrats! I have only just started my banting journey and have a hard time convincing myself to keep on doing this as it goes against everything I used to believe. Your blog is an inspiration.
Thank you for that lovely feedback. Yes, it is difficult to change decades of believing in low fat and healthy whole grains, but it will be easy to stay motivated once you experience all the benefits of this way of eating. Good luck.
Well done Nix, you so deserve it! Thanks for all your advise and knowledge that you have shared along this journey. It has been empowering to learn how to regain good health by what we choose to put into our bodies. Love love love your blog!