Coming Clean: Turning Failure into Freedom
In April of this year, I announced that I was aligning with Registered Dietitian, Ali Miller, for her Virtual Ketosis Program. As an affiliate, I was happy to share her program with my clients and connections, while earning a small referral commission. I had every intention of doing the 12-week program myself as well as using it as an opportunity to incorporate my coaching skills to support other women. I had 5 clients join, and we were off to a great start.
Now, I love and respect Ali and the work she does. She is a leader in the integrative nutrition world, and has helped many people find health and freedom in their bodies. Her recent book, The Anti-Anxiety Diet, is a wonderful and much needed resource in healing and overcoming the root causes of anxiety issues.
But I quickly discovered that a Ketogenic approach was not a good fit for me- at least not at that time. I had just suddenly and unexpectedly closed my Sugar Land office, which turned out to be a much bigger disruption in my business and life than I anticipated. I had also just joined Beautycounter as a consultant, and was in the midst of launching that side hustle on top of running my business and mothering our two young girls.
Another factor was my tendency towards an intense dislike and resistance to rules, restrictions, and expectations. According to Gretchen Ruben’s book, The Four Tendencies, I am a Rebel (find out your tendency HERE), which means I tend to respond to expectations from others and myself with a whole lot of NOPE.
For anyone not familiar with the Ketogenic diet, while there is an abundance of delicious nutrient-dense food to enjoy, to be most effective, you have to follow very strict guidelines regarding carbohydrate intake.
I supported and encouraged my clients who did the program- some with successful outcomes- but my capacity to do this for myself was just not there.
This surprised and haunted me for months, because I also have a bit of an Obliger/People Pleaser tendency - I’ll do what I have to do for others, sometimes for acceptance and approval. I value integrity and honesty highly, and do my best to follow through on what I say I will do.
I share this to say, while I had plenty of reasons to see my attempt at the Ketogenic program as a failure personally, I’ve found freedom in choosing to see it as an opportunity to learn.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
A Ketogenic diet can be very healing. All of the reasons I affiliated with Ali still stand. It reduces inflammation, promotes gut repair and healing, regulates blood sugar, and encourages nutrient-dense food intake. I’ve seen clients and friends feel better in their bodies and reach weight loss goals with this way of eating.
I am an annoying mix of Rebel/Obliger and the next time I take on a lifestyle change, I will probably be much more successful by working with my tendency (ordering Gretchen’s book now).
A personalized approach to health and wellness is always the answer. While I didn’t follow Ali’s program, I did incorporate new practices (Keto coffee- yum yum!) and have a new awareness about myself because of this experience.
If something you’re attempting for your health isn’t working, how can you lean in, get curious and make it your own? Even better, find a supportive healthcare practitioner to be your guide and partner along the way.
And if you’ve ever started something and not been able to see it through to the end (hello, being human), how did you respond to it? Have you made peace with it now, and if so how? I’d love to know.
In health and freedom,
