On Sunday I watched the Netflix Documentary, The Game Changers. It’s the first time I’ve turned on Netflix for a while. I don’t really watch much TV these days, and to be honest, I don’t really miss it. But a few friends had mentioned the documentary and I figured, why not. Something to relax and watch on a Sunday afternoon. By the end of it, I started asking myself “could I change my diet?”
So much for a relaxing afternoon. My brain whizzed and whirred around like the Mad Hatter at his Tea Party. I talk a lot about the challenges I set myself, and how I have found them a great way to make sizeable shifts in my life in an approachable way. This was no different. The idea for a challenge has started to percolate!
Why change your diet?
So far, my diet has changed pretty aggressively this year. I’ve done this before, in 2015 as part of my first Body Experiment. The 4HB slow-carb diet recommended by Tim Ferriss has worked wonders for me, twice now in the last 5 years. So if it works, why change it?
As good as my diet is, the thought of having more energy and being able to recover faster and potentially avoid long-term health issues seems pretty persuasive to me. If there’s a way to improve further, why wouldn’t I start looking at it seriously?
A challenge to change your diet?
When I first started the 4HB slow-carb diet in 2015, I set myself the really simple challenge:
Stick to the diet for 30 days, and track the data to see what effect it had.
That was it. Simple really. 30 days is nothing when it comes to having to make a painful change in your life. But it’s also long enough that any positive change fuels you and makes you want to continue. I mean if you could do it for 30 days, you could for 60 days, right?
The real question is, could I eat a plant-based diet for 30 days. This is something I never thought I’d be writing about, let alone really considering. But since watching the documentary, I’m now finding myself Googling and researching various aspects around the performance and health benefits to those that are currently eating that way.
The 1% compound effect that I talk about a lot now, is a really simple concept, but it’s hugely powerful. It has always been in my life. Maybe I just didn’t realise how powerfully till recently.
If I could make substantial changes to what I ate back in 2015, surely I can manage this for a new 30-day challenge?
Planning a challenge?
Now, it’s not about just jumping in and hoping for the best. When I start to figure out what it is I want to try to achieve, I break down the steps, look at what I will need, plan the resources (especially the time) that are required and I usually look to someone, or various people, for some help. This will be no different.
You want to do these things properly, and even more importantly, give yourself the best chance to succeed. Shooting off half-cocked is a great way to end up disappointed and failing whatever it is that you’re trying to achieve.
So, I’m currently in the planning phase. And I’m looking to anyone out there reading this to drop your 2 cents down below and let me know your thoughts, tips, advice, or even make any intros you think may be relevant.
If I do attempt this, I will be documenting the process in detail and making sure that I have baseline measurements that are key to go with, as well as final measurements to compare. If you’re going to do it, you may as well do it right!
