Have you heard that latest diet craze? It’s the Peanut Butter Diet – woohoo! Finally, someone sees the value in eating PB several times a day. Oh yeah, you’re probably wondering who came up with this latest fad that’s going to turn the health and wellness world upside down. Ummm…well…it’s me! Because it works FOR ME – but it may not work FOR YOU. And here’s why…

We aren’t meant to eat the same – the same way, the same foods, the same time of day. Just like we own distinct personalities, we also are created with unique metabolisms, food preferences and sensitivities. Yet oftentimes, we hop on the bandwagon and think that whatever bestie is doing or the acquaintance in your fitness class or the mega star on the cover of Cosmo MUST BE what we follow or else. Or else what?

You are you – ding, ding, ding, ding (can you hear the bells ringing?)! And along with that comes your own crazy schedule, lifestyle challenges, mindset mayhem, and everything else in between. So why do we think that what works for someone else will automatically work for ourselves? Without learning who we are, we cannot address what we need.

Heads up – it all begins and ends with YOU!

So how do we educate ourselves enough to understand what will work? Well, let’s begin with what NOT to do…

Don’t wedge yourself into a random meal plan that someone brags about on Facebook.

Don’t immerse yourself into the diet that got Wonder Woman into her costume.

Don’t slot yourself into the all liquid meal protocol your neighbor recently engaged with.

Sure, maybe, just maybe it’s working for them. But can it work for you…and sustainably?

Let’s take any of the popular diets right now and ‘fit’ them in to your lifestyle. Ask yourself these questions as you research/read/ponder ‘fitting’ one of them in…

• Do I even enjoy the foods on this diet (i.e. predominantly high in fat, mostly veggies, abundance of protein)?
• Will this even work with my schedule?
• Would this be the best approach for my family as well?
• Will I feel deprived because _____ is off-limits (i.e. carbs or nuts or some sweets)?
• What if I just want to share ice cream with my kids on a weekend?
• Is this even sustainable?

So many of us NEVER ask questions about the diets we ‘think’ will work. We just hop in and hope! Ugh – is that even a strategy?

Help!!! What should do we do?

Experience along with time has shown that the solution is to view our eating as a constant learning process, ever evolving over time. It takes time – yes, like years (sorry!) – to learn the best approach for you. Investigate, understand, research, trial and error…that’s how science figures it out. Why not you?

Food is not meant to be feared, yet it can be the one thing in our life we find most confusing. Instead of tackling it head on, we opt to package it with a pretty bow in our heads waiting for the right occasion, of which there never is, to deal with it.

Why not just try? Piece together a bit of this, add a dash of that and mix in a dollop of the other. And like any recipe that grandma handed down (because you know she tried many times until it was perfected), as long as you figure it out and follow, the outcome will be unique to YOU! .