The One Diet

The One Diet is one tool, one change, one week at a time, for once-and-for-all management of your weight. Learn all about it here and join me in this journey!

Why am I talking about the D word?

There are certain days that seem good for new beginnings: Mondays, of course; January 1st, obviously; and September 1st which is when school and routines amp up after a summer of rest and rejuvenation. It’s too bad September 1st isn’t on a Monday this year but alas I’m going for a new beginning not a perfect beginning.

If you follow me, you probably know that I am all for body positivity! I think we should all feel comfortable in our bodies, comfortable in our clothes, and comfortable with ourselves – and I do! I am grateful to this bod and I’m not hesitant to put on a swimsuit or wear anything that suits my fancy. I have gained a fair bit of weight over the past two years and have, for the most part, accepted and accommodated that.  However, I feel like now is the time to stop the upward trend and take some measures towards a more healthy lifestyle. My goal in this is not about the scale but rather about feeling healthier, having more energy, sleeping better, and setting myself up with healthy habits that will serve me for the rest of my life, regardless of size or weight.

What is The One Diet?

Many of us bristle at the word “diet” but for simplicity purposes, that’s what this is and that’s the word I’m choosing to use BUT I’m disassociating it from all the negative connotations in my own mind, and I hope you do too. We can decide to not buy into all that. The One Diet is simple: one tool, one change at a time, for one week. That’s it.

If I’m being honest, I don’t really want to do anything. I want to keep doing exactly what I’ve always done yet magically lose the 20 pounds I’ve gained! But since that is pretty unlikely, I have decided to take a very gentle approach and make small incremental changes over a long period of time with the goal of creating new habits that will then become my usual. I have done so many diets and approaches – Whole 30 (five times!), cleanses, fasts, Keto, South Beach, Weight Watchers, My Fitness Pal, etc. and they work so long as I do them consistently… which I don’t, at least not over the LONG term.

Instead, each week, I will determine one small change to implement for that week. Each change will support the general health notions of eating less, moving more and having a healthy mindset about it all. I will write that change on a post-it note (that’s the one tool!) and put it on my bathroom mirror as a visual reminder for the week. At the end of the week, I’ll put my post-it in a journal so I can keep them and keep track of my progress. Will I stop that change at the end of the week? I hope not; I hope that I will keep at them so there is a cumulative build-up of healthy changes!

There is something REALLY IMPORTANT about The One Diet that you need to understand: The One Diet will look different for everyone. Selecting the small change to work on for each week is personal. If you have no problems with eating a gallon of queso, you won’t need to have the queso-control change that is inevitably heading my way in the near future! Your body is unique and you are the expert on you. You need to choose changes that work for YOU. I will share mine only as an example of what you *could* consider. I’m hoping we can share our post-its and changes and inspire each other!

The One Diet is not some legalistic program requiring strict adherence to rules. If that’s your jam or if you want quick results or if you already are in control and have your diet and exercise habits established and healthy, well then, this might not be the group for you. I am not that person. I need a group, I love clubs, and I LOOOOOVVVVEEEE community so The One Diet is perfect for me.

Where can I find The One Diet support and info?

I created a group on Facebook and shared a live video that goes into all the details  about The One Diet– you can view it on Facebook or below! I did, er, experience some technical difficulties so I had to change the group from closed to public to closed again, but it should be good now! I am hoping that the group will be a place where we can share what we are doing – be it The One Diet or something different – as well as support and encourage one another.

There is no obligation to share, no obligation to join the group. There are no fees and I am by no means an expert, though, as I explain in the video, I do have some knowledge and will be using that to select my weekly changes. I suppose I should make an official disclaimer: I am not responsible for anything that happens for those joining The One Diet!! Really, I’m just trying something out and inviting you to join me in the journey.

My plan is to do a live Facebook video every weekend to review the previous week and share the post-it note and change for the coming week. I also plan to do a blog post each week so that no matter where you look, you can find info and support.

The One Diet – Week One

For me, the first week is all about getting mentally ready for the change process. I have studied change theory and human behaviour and all that good stuff, and I know that we need to be ready for change in order for change to occur. For me, this means giving myself a positive message this week:

I am resisting the urge to do more – to cut calories or eat 17 serving of veggies a day or go to the gym every day or _________ (fill in the blank). All I want to do this week is get my head in the game. I do not have a timeline, my health is not in jeopardy so there is no need to rush the process. I want to establish the habit of talking nicely to myself, being a good friend to me. I want to acknowledge that the mental stuff is just as real and important as the physical stuff. I want to practice making the choice, every day, to think in a new way about my body and my life.

Who’s with me?

xoxo Nicole

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