I quit!

That’s right I’m writing my first post on a habit changing challenge blog about quitting! It’s really more about finding balance which I don’t feel like I have a lot of in my life currently.

So I quit the paleo challenge.

I already eat a fully gluten free diet (no cross-contamination, no “may contain traces” and this goes for all products I use on my body). Eating and living gluten free is a necessity and is almost second nature, but I continue to feel pressure not to screw up and get "glutened". I have found in the past week that the added thought process of eliminating dairy and sugars has increased my stress around food and I have been cheating more frequently and thoroughly (a full pint of Haagen Dazs for dinner is not something I would normally do). I would never cheat and eat gluten so I've been annoyed with myself for cheating on the paleo diet. 

What I've determined for myself is that I know that I’m an all or nothing kind of girl, so I need to challenge myself to try something and commit to it at a lower level. I will continue to eat paleo breakfasts (excluding one breakfast out a week) and when I cook for myself I will prepare paleo meals. The remainder of the time I will do what I can but I won't stress about it. The funny thing is I may even do better now that I’m removing the pressure.

I will also continue my personal challenges – oil pulling every morning for a minimum of 20 minutes then drinking a glass of warm lemon juice. I’m not sure either of these are making real differences in my life but I will explain why I chose to do each soon.  

How are you finding balance with the paleo challenge or your personal challenges? How do you cope with the almost inevitable slip-ups?