The 3 Major Barriers to Change

Why is change so difficult? Why do we fight change? Besides the fact that we don't like moving outside our comfort zone, there are 3 major factors that prevent us from making changes to our lifestyle:

1. Fear
2. Lack of knowledge
3. Negative attitude/motivation

There are other issues such as background, environment, lifestyle, financial resources, work environment, relationships -- but all of these issues always come back to one (or more) of these Top 3.
 
Fear. Most men won't admit that they're afraid. They're afraid of dying, they're afraid of going blind, losing a leg -- this creates anxiety which leads to stress and poor eating habits. They're also afraid of making mistakes.
 
But, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Mistakes are how we learn.

Knowledge. Most of us think we know what foods to eat and how to control our diabetes, but most of us are mistaken and don't realize it -- so lack of knowledge is a major factor.

Knowledge is power … Acquire it. Then, use it.

There is a strong belief in the doctors and the drugs -- this is due to our upbringing  and the fact that we all look up to the doctors. Because we believe and trust the doctors, we take the drugs hoping the drugs will work. But, due to this lack of knowledge, most people don't realize that the side effects of the drugs actually keep their bodies in a diabetic state, inhibiting the repair process.
 
We also take the drugs because we are not motivated to want to change our lifestyle. Most people do not want to change their lifestyle after living a certain way for 30 years. It's easier to take the drugs and be able to eat what they want.
 
Attitude. We also develop a negative attitude or a "what's the use" attitude because there appears to be no easy solution and we're strongly influenced by TV, radio, the pharmaceutical companies, and the doctors. And the negative attitude depletes your motivation and will power to want to make changes.

You must acquire the knowledge to overcome these powerful influences that are destroying your health.

How to Change Poor Eating Habits

Like it or not, we are all creatures of habit. Think about it: you eat the same food prepared in the same manner, and probably bought from the same grocery store. Are your eating habits preventing you from losing weight? The problem with habits, good or bad, is that they are so much a part of us that it's unusually hard to give them up - as they say, old habits die hard.

Like most people, you may be skeptical about changing your diets because you have grown accustomed to eating or drinking the same foods, and there is a fear of the unknown or trying something new.

If you're really serious about controlling your diabetes (without drugs) or losing weight, you need to tackle bad eating habits and learn to exercise regularly. These are all very basic start up tips, but the first steps would be for you to:

• Be aware of those bad habits you want to drop
• Find out why these habits exist
• Figure out ways to slowly drop those 'bad' habits while replacing them with healthier ones
• Incorporate regular exercise into your lifestyle

This process of self-study will help you in setting health goals for yourself and will help you better understand what strategies would work best for you. After this, you should learn, meditate upon and apply the following strategies to help you get rid of bad eating habits.

Instructions

Step 1: Take it One Day at a Time

They say "a journey of a thousand miles takes one step at a time". However, these steps must be in the right direction. Making small changes in your diet and lifestyle and learning to adjust to them over weeks are more effective than trying to become different overnight. Start with the Super Breakfast as your first small step.

Step 2: Be Aware

Become more mindful: Read food labels and pay close attention to everything that goes into your mouth.

Step 3: Set Goals

Goals have to be specific and realistic. Non specific goals are as good as no goals at all. "I want to eat healthy and work out more" is a very non-specific goal that will never be realized. It makes more sense to say, "I'll eat only protein and vegetables for breakfast and work out on my treadmill for 30 minutes in the evenings three times a week". The latter goal is specific and therefore, attainable.

Refer to the Super Meal Model for more details.

Step 4: Tackle a new target weekly

Every major goal should have a number of targets under it. You should focus on tackling a new target every week in attainment of your goal.

Step 5: Practice Stress Management

Even when you've picked up healthy eating habits, it's quite easy to fall back to bad eating habits when exposed to stressors. Stressors could be physical, emotional or environmental. It's important to focus on dealing with stressors through exercise, relaxation or meditation.

Note: Refer to the “How to Reduce Stress” ebook for more details.

Note: Learn about Life's 3 Major Problems -- that's right: there's only 3 problems that you'll ever face in life!

Some diabetics believe that they lack the motivation and will power to make the necessary changes to improve their health and their diabetes.

If you have trouble with motivation or will power, we have some good news!

The lack of motivation or will power can be overcome in 3 ways:

1. Make only 1 or 2 very small changes that require very little if any motivation or will power.

2. Change the chemistry in your brain that prevents the release of serotonin (the feel-good hormone).

3. Talk with someone who's been where you are.

Note: If you can't find someone, we strongly recommend that you set up a 1-on-1 consultation with Mr. McCulley to discuss your specific health situation and motivational techniques that will work for you.

Stop wasting your money on drugs that you know don't work, and stop getting frustrated because you feel a lack of motivation or will power -- Mr. McCulley (or one of our other diabetes health experts) can help you with this! Mr. McCulley can show you how to make very small changes and have a big impact on your health within the first few weeks.

 

Mr. McCulley and our diabetes health coaching experts provide the guidance, insight, specific nutritional advice, and a natural approach -- to better control your glucose and insulin levels. If you're taking diabetic drugs, they may control your blood glucose levels, but they don't control the more important high insulin levels that are damaging your liver and kidneys! (as explained in Chapter 3). Mr. McCulley and our diabetes health coaching experts explain how to use the Super Meal program to safely wean off the drugs.

 

The book (Chapter 13) provides some general information about spiritual health and will power but that may not translate to you as an individual. That's why we work with individuals such as yourself 1-on-1 to identify customized solutions that align with your lifestyle and require minimum motivation and will power  on your part.

For example, we show you how to transform your favorite foods and comfort foods into healthier versions so that you can better control your blood glucose level -- with minimum changes on your part!  Making a lot of changes requires a lot of will power and motivation. Making small changes or almost no changes requires very little will power and motivation.

 
For more information about motivation and will power, get the Motivation & Will Power ebook.

If you struggle with changing your eating habits or you lack discipline or you just don't want to make a lot of dietary changes, then, read this web page and get the Food Tips PDF or one the following PDF documents. These PDFs can show you how to transform the foods that you're eating plus any other favorite foods and comfort foods into healthier versions -- so that you don't have to make a lot of changes to the way you eat!

• Food Tips
• Food Tips Chart
• Cookbook
• Grocery Shopping
• Dining Out
• Juicing
• Vitamins

And, if you do decide to make just one single change (from a grain-based breakfast to a vegetable-based breakfast), you can  still improve your diabetes!

"If I always do what I've always done, I'll always get what I've always got." Anonymous

The 7 Habits of Healthy People

Have you heard of "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey?

Well, here are "The 7 Habits of Healthy People" and the "secret" to how healthy people live well:

1. Avoid or reduce eating the “dead” foods that poison your body. Eat the “super” foods that repair, nourish, balance and cleanse your body.
2. Keep fit, strong, and flexible by being physically active during the day.
3. Continue to learn and grow every day. Knowledge is power … Acquire it. Then, use it. Avoid the mistakes.
   
4. Strengthen your relationships with family and friends.
5. Schedule time for  sleep and sunlight.
6. Have passion and purpose in your life.
7. Become a community advocate and help others.

Hmm-mm ... these seven habits sound very much like the steps in the author's Death to Diabetes Health and Wellness Program.

The 7 Pillars of a Healthy Life

The seven (7) pillars of a healthy life is just another way to look at how to live a healthy life:

1. Physical
2. Emotional
3. Spiritual
4. Intellectual
5. Financial
6. Relational
7. Environmental