Is ODAAT the Answer?

If you’re like me, you’ve been trying to eat healthier and lose weight.

If you’re really like me, you’ve made multiple grand plans, or tried multiple different programs/approaches, and had great success at losing weight and feeling better….

…only to fall back into your unhealthy eating habits and gain the weight back.

So frustrating!

And depressing, frankly, when you’ve tried 30 times or more! I posted about one of my health resets at the end of February, 2023.

My most recent health reset (Goodbye Lupus protocol, which is all raw) began on March 17, 2023 and slowly deteriorated beginning March 30.

This morning, I decided I needed to do something different.

In the past, usually my approach to getting healthy (which included losing weight) has been as follows:

• Start something on a Monday
• Go all in (all or nothing, baby)
• Plan out how much weight I wanted to lose
• Plan a deadline
• Plan what my eating approach would be (wfpb, smoothies, raw food only, celery juice in the am,  juice fast, water fast etc.) …I’ve done them all.
• Track everything

Although creating a plan can be very helpful, it has its drawbacks.

If I go off the plan…

• Even though I don’t realize it, I expect perfection…no mistakes.
• I put pressure on myself to stick to the plan.
• I often consider myself a failure if I go off plan.
• I add more crappy food to the one(s) I already ate, and then spiral into days, weeks or months of eating unhealthy food. I also try to get in all my faves during that time (mac n’ cheese, cheese, red wine, chicken wings, potato chips, etc.). Basically any fat/salt combo.
• I feel caught in a struggle with food.
• I gain weight and feel uncomfortable in my own body. Joint pain usually joins the party.
• Then I make the next plan!

Today, I’m going to try something I’ve never done before because

creating big plans hasn’t been working for me.

And here it is…

ODAAT or One Day At A Time

In today’s post, I’ll talk about:

1. Why I’m trying ODAAT.
2. What I’m doing today (my first day).
3. Advantages of ODAAT
4. Disadvantages of ODAAT
5. 3 examples of doing ODAAT
6. Is ODAAT right for you?

Why I’m trying ODAAT

I want to…

1. …reduce the pressure I put on myself.
2. …wake up each day, and decide how I’m going to eat that day.
3. …stop living in the future and planning everything.
4. …let my journey unfold each day, based on my progress from the day before.
5. …eliminate so many rules.
6. …feel more relaxed about choosing food.
7. …feel less guilt or disappointment for failing once again, when I cannot stick to something.
8. …focus on my wins each day.

I think ODAAT might do that for me. Dare I get a little excited?

My ODAAT For Today (May 1, 2023)

Because it’s one day at a time, I don’t know how I’ll eat tomorrow. I can tell you what I’ve planned for today (so far so good at 5:30 pm cst).

• Make a blender full of hypernourishing smoothies, according to the protocol designed by Dr. Brooke Goldner and drink all or most of it throughout the day.

• When I’m hungry, I’ll make a whole food, plant-based meal or snack.

• I will not drink any alcohol. Alcohol is a carcinogen, and although imbibing occasionally might not be horrible for you, I’ve been having red wine pretty much everyday for the last month!

I chose three things for today, and I don’t know yet if three choices is too many. If it’s too much, then I might modify my plan for tomorrow.

Today’s smoothie was made with red cabbage, savoy cabbage, banana, mandarin orange, frozen mango, 2 tbsp of flax oil and lots of water. The total amount of smoothie was about 60 oz.

After I had my blender full, I poured out one jar. 

Then I added ginger to the remaining amount in the blender and blended it, pouring out another jar. 

For the last bit, I added fresh basil and blended it for my last jar.

Now let’s look at why ODAAT might be the answer for me (and maybe you), as well as possible reasons it might not be a fit.

ODAAT Advantages 

• Easier to manage because you can break down your dietary goals into more achievable, smaller steps.
• You make small habit changes over time, which may increase the likelihood that you turn those changes into life-time (or most-of-the-time) habits.
• Have fewer cravings since you are making changes more slowly.
• You can structure each day as you like.
• Feels less overwhelming
• Can increase your chances of success if you aren’t overwhelmed.
• Easier to stay motivated because you can see your progress as you meet your goal or goals for the day. Tip: Be sure to pick doable goals and avoid having too many in each day.
• Easier to stay on track because you have just one day to get through.
• It’s flexible, so you can adapt each day to fit your needs. 
• You can move forward toward better health at your own pace.

Disadvantages of ODAAT

• Moving one day at a time may take longer for you to reach your health or weight-loss goals than an all-in approach. 
• If you’re used to “lose 10 lbs in 2 weeks”, and expect/desire fast weight loss, then ODAAT may not be for you.
• If you need the excitement and motivation of a drastic change, and have less patience to wait for health or weight loss, then you might not get excited about ODAAT.
• If you need more structure, this slower way of moving toward health may not be a fit. You might prefer having meal plans and rules to guide you.
• You may need to put more effort towards eating one day at a time because you are making daily decisions. That might add overwhelm to each day for you.
• It could be more challenging to plan what you’re going to eat. If you don’t know in advance what you’ll be eating, it may add more stress to your meal-planning or grocery shopping.

When I look over the downsides list, I think they can be overcome, but only you can decide if ODAAT might work for you. Taking more time to lose weight increases the chance that your healthier habits will stick and that you’ll keep off any weight you lose. 

We almost always want our weight loss to be fast, but I, and millions of people out there can tell you fast does not necessarily equal long-term success.

It’s like the tortoise and the hare story. Slow and steady often wins the race over speed and getting side-tracked.

When it comes to structure, I think you can build that into ODAAT. For example, you can decide the night before what your next day will look like and prep a lunch, plan a meal, etc. In general, you’ll have an idea of the type of healthier foods you want to eat (like adding in more veggies and not buying as much processed food), so you can plan accordingly when you shop.

3 Examples of Using ODAAT to Get Healthy and/or Lose Weight

The examples below break down the ODAAT a bit into stages. I realize that by looking at the possible phases or levels of doing ODAAT, we’re moving into the planning-ahead zone; however, it can be helpful to look at ODAAT as a gradual process in order to envision where you’re headed.

You don’t have to decide all these stages in advance, you can move through them at whatever pace feels right for you and your body.

Also, please note that you’ll build on each day with these examples. You continue the previous day’s habits into the next.

Now, you don’t have to do it that way. To truly be one day at a time, you can do whatever you want. The idea is that you are building healthy habits over time to get you to better health and a lower weight if that’s where you’re at.

The first two ODAAT examples show ways you could slowly become plant-based. The second example is about giving up processed foods, which are usually overflowing with empty, fatty/sugary calories..

ODAAT Example 1: Going Plant-based by Focusing on Eliminating Animal Based Products

1. Eliminate beef and veal
2. Do away with pork and lamb
3. Stop eating chicken
4. Remove fish
5. Goodbye seafood/shellfish
6. Ditch the eggs
7. Get rid of dairy, stage 1: no milk
8. Get rid of dairy, stage 2: no cream or yogurt
9. Get rid of dairy, stage 3: no cheese
10. All dairy is gone.

ODAAT Example 2: Going Plant-based by Focusing on Bringing in More Plant Foods

1. Eat a plant-based salad before dinner.
2. Add 5 servings of vegetables.
3. Add in a plant-based breakfast.
4. Add 2 servings of fruit.
5. Add 1 serving of a starch (potato/grain).
6. Add 1 serving of legumes.
7. Add 1 more serving of a starch.
8. Add a plant-based lunch. By this point, there shouldn’t be many animal-based products left.
9. Eliminate all remaining meat (beef, veal, pork, lamb, chicken, fish, seafood, etc.)
10. Get rid of eggs and dairy.

For the next example: 

Once you work through the stages, you may be able to have processed food occasionally. In the beginning though, especially if you’re addicted to any of these foods (you know you’re addicted if you won’t go for any time period without them or you’re appalled even at the idea of giving them up!), you should eliminate them.

If you have a daily addiction to any food (you find it extremely difficult to give up), then you can first focus on that food by reducing the amount you consume daily, until you are at zero. Then you can move onto other problem foods.

ODAAT Example 3: Eliminate Processed Foods

1. Give up soda/pop. 
2. Banish processed drinks and juices.
3. Eliminate foods from fast food restaurants like McDonald’s, Burger King, A & W, etc.
4. Give up boxed food like crackers, cereal, granola bars, etc. 
5. Stop eating frozen processed foods like chicken nuggets, pizza, pre-made lasagna, etc. Frozen veggies and fruit are ok.
6. Ditch fried foods and processed meats (bacon, deli meats, hot dogs,).
7. Say goodbye to junk food: stage 1: Potato chips, cheezies, doritos, etc. go
8. Say goodbye to junk food: stage 2: Chocolate bars.
9. No more highly refined flour products (baked goods, cookies, cakes, pies, white bread, etc.)
10. Get rid of ice cream (or any item that contains ice cream).

These are all just examples. You can make your own ODAAT plan to fit your needs.

Alternatively, as I’m doing, you can literally take it ONE DAY at a time, deciding each day what you want to do.

You don’t have to know exactly where you’re going or how you’ll get there.

So, is ODAAT the answer for YOUR long term health and weight loss?

I really can’t say how ODAAT will work for you, or for me for that matter, since I’m just starting with this approach to healthier eating today.

After reading through this post, and maybe doing some of your own research, you can do only one thing: listen to your gut…

…or if you’re like me…dive in and try it to see how it feels.

Whether you try ODAAT or choose a faster route, remember to be kind to yourself along the way, and never give up on your goals.

You are so worth it.

Live your true life,