Five tips as you get started with LCHF
My daughter turned 16 in April. She wasn’t able to get her learners drivers licence due to being in Covid-19 lock-down - until last week. She booked it in, we went in and she sat the test and passed with flying colours to get her learners. It was a very exciting day. We celebrated and then later that day we headed out together - just me and her - for her first driving lesson.
I chose a large car-park that was deserted. No other cars, no people. We went into that car-park and parked up and then we switched seats. Initially she just sat in that driver seat and said to me - “This is really weird mum, I’ve never sat in the drivers seat before.” So before we did anything else, she sat there and asked questions about what everything in front of her was for. She pumped the pedals, moved the gear stick around, played with the indicator, the mirrors, the wipers and lights. Then we were ready to start the engine baby!
I had decided that our first lesson wouldn’t go any further than getting her familiar and learning how to get the car moving in first gear. We would focus on her getting the engine on, getting the clutch, gear stick and accelerator all coordinated so to get the car moving. We didn’t worry about mirrors or indicators and I managed the hand brake. We focused solely on getting that car some forward momentum.
As you can imagine, the first time we put all of this together, the car bunny-hopped a couple of times and then stalled. Both of us cracked up laughing. Of course it was to be expected and it was a pretty funny moment. Straight away, we reset and got ourselves back into the zone and she tried again. This time she was successful! A few jerks, but we were in first gear and had forward movement - slowly she made her way around the deserted car-park.
Learning to drive is a lot like learning to eat Low Carb Healthy Fat (LCHF) for the first time. It might feel incredibly overwhelming initially and like you are having to think a lot and have to focus on everything.
I’m going to share five top tips to help you get started on this new food journey. Here are my FIVE C’s to eating LCHF.
1. COMMIT
If you are getting started with eating LCHF, committing is an important place to start. You have your reasons for doing this and you’ve made a decision to do this. Just like my daughter did last week when she committed to sitting her learners driving test and learning how to drive.
It’s inevitable with starting something new (just like learning to drive), that there are going to be some bunny hops and potential that you may stall. It’s normal, so don’t be surprised when it happens! Committing to this change is saying, when I stall and get overwhelmed, I will stick it out. I won’t throw the keys out the window and decide just to walk everywhere for the rest of my life. When you stall, its saying to yourself - “Its ok, this was expected”. Just reset and go again. It’s part of the journey. It might be important for you to commit to a specific time period initially. I would suggest at least a month. Less than that and you won’t have the chance to see benefits of the change.
2. Reduce COMPLEXITY
It’s important to reduce the complexity when we are learning something new.
For my daughter learning to drive, we reduced that complexity down by focusing on getting the car into first gear and moving. I made sure she was in a safe and simple environment, with no barriers in her way, and I removed the stress of needing to indicate or check mirrors. She had a single focus - we took out any extra complexity.
How can you reduce the complexity as you begin this LCHF journey? - especially if this is the first time you've eaten in this way. Planning your food and meals is a great way to reduce complexity. Being prepared reduces the mental load, especially when you are already beyond busy.
Get the PreKure LCHF food guide or similar. It is a great resource. Provided in the guide is a “green” list of foods that you can safely eat from, and a “red” list of foods that are off the table. There are other amazing food and recipe resources out there, like Diet Doctor, Ditch the Carbs or “What the Fat? Recipes” by Caryn Zinn, Craig Rodger, and Grant Schofield.
Remember too, it’s OK to repeat meals! Especially when you are starting out - you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you eat. Keep it simple and do what works for you. Just stick with one option for breakfast and lunch and maybe a couple of different options for dinner. You can become a little more adventurous as your confidence with LCHF increases.
3. CULTIVATE
With any new thing we implement in life, we have to cultivate it, in order for it to become a habit.
“Learning to drive is a lot like learning to eat Low Carb Healthy Fat (LCHF) for the first time. It might feel incredibly overwhelming initially and like you are having to think a lot and have to focus on everything.”
The only way my daughter will learn to drive now, is by being brave and getting in the car and going for a drive. She has to cultivate and practice driving in order to learn to drive. Seems so obvious right?! It is only by doing it that she can get better at it. How many of us remember all the tiny, minute steps you go through to get your car moving? I hadn’t thought about it until I got in the car last week to teach someone else. That’s because as adult drivers, we have we have moved from having to consciously think through each step involved to get on the road, to unconsciously performing each step. We know how to drive - driving has become automatic.
Learning to eat LCHF for the first time follows the same principal. Initially it will be HARD! It will require focus. You will have to think through each meal and consciously consider whether what you are eating is part of the plan. You will need to cultivate this new way of eating for it to become part of your every day lifestyle. But by cultivating it, in time it will become automatic.
4. Find your CREW
My daughter has this group of friends - her crew - who are also in the middle of learning to drive and many of them already have their restricted licences now. They are all cheering each other on and sharing their newly acquired driving experiences with each other.
So for you, as you learn to eat LCHF, who is your crew? Who are the people that are your support network? That safe space you can learn and ask questions? Where you can join with others who are on the journey as well and celebrate your successes together, share stories and experience. Its much more likely to stick if you have a like-minded community around you - so find your crew!
5. Invest in a COACH
If you are finding it hard going and slow, feeling like you need help and just want to amp up this lifestyle change, consider getting yourself a Health Coach. Health Coaching is amazing. You get somebody who is 100% on your team, and working with you one-on-one. A Coach will support you when you come up against barriers and mindset blocks to find a way through. A coach will help you reach the goals you have for yourself by helping you create a plan and then keeping you accountable to it.
My daughter is obviously being taught to drive by me at the moment. But we will be investing in some driving lessons in the future. Why? Because a qualified driving instructor will be able to help her driving go next level by showing her the areas she needs to tweak, and helping her correct any unhelpful habits she has.
Clients I have coached have found the coaching relationship to be a really valuable part of their health journey. If Coaching is something you need, to help you make the health changes you desire, I challenge you to reach out today and set up a time to talk HERE. You and your health are worth it!.
“Vania made it really easy, I just had to show up. The changes to food and lifestyle were the hard bits. She was an amazing coach for me. She coached in a very caring, inspiring and empowering way. I gained courage and confidence with her health coaching.”
“Coaching has been invaluable. It’s been so great not only having someone I’m accountable to - but also who encourages me and helps me set realistic goals. My mindset has changed & I’ve gone from being worried I couldn’t do it - to knowing I can. Failure isn’t even an option now.”
“I was lacking motivation and know how to change old habits. This was a brilliant short reset that totally left me wanting to sign up for more. The best part was Vania’s video catch ups that made me switch my focus from the scales to my health.”
To close out…
I’m so excited for you if you are learning what eating LCHF looks like. I’d love to hear what you notice for you as you make the change. Keep in mind those five points above as you get started and wish me luck for the next driving lesson!
Vania x