Stop assuming that the new thing will suck

My father is getting ready to move soon. He and his wife are moving to a smaller place, about 10-20 miles south of where they currently live.

I asked him if he's excited about going to a new place.

"No," he said. "I've got all my favorite TV shows here. How do I know they'll have the same shows down there?"

Now, he is moving less than an hour away. I really doubt they won't have the same TV shows.

But I actually get it. He is afraid that the new place will suck. Sure, it will mean a smaller property tax bill and mortgage payment, less yardwork, and a lot of other great things, but it’s easy to worry about losing things you really, really love. It’s easy to assume the new thing will stink.

The conversation got me thinking about how when we cut sugar and flour and snacks and overeating out of our lives, we can easily assume, even in silly ways, it will be awful.

I remember listening to a telephone coaching call, early in my no-sugar-no-flour journey, where someone was saying she now felt doomed to never enjoy her food again. Never again would she enjoy a meal if she couldn't have her favorite pasta dish.

I knew exactly what she meant. What if all my meals sucked? What if I never, ever got a meal I enjoyed ever again? After all, when I was growing up, diets meant iceberg lettuce, carrots, cottage cheese, and celery. Boring boring boring. Unenjoyable and flat.

You know what? I love my meals now. I love the fresh, crispy vegetables. I've discovered roasted broccoli is fantastic. My supermarket is packed with great tasting vegetables that go waaayyy beyond iceberg lettuce and celery. We are so lucky, those of us who live in places where supermarkets offer a huge array of different fresh vegetables and fruits. Don’t even get me started on farmer’s markets.

Without my taste buds dulled through overly sweet foods, I can taste foods better than ever. I have begun seeking out local blueberries and tomatoes and corn because they taste so darn good. Lentils? Blackberries? Spinach? I love them.

In fact, I love my meals now more than I ever did when I was eating crap. If you had told me that even two years ago, I would have rolled my eyes and silently said, “Oh yeah right. What a nut.” Never never never would I have thought that was possible.

So be careful about being afraid to move forward because the new thing might be awful. Don't assume that in giving up sugar and flour you'll never enjoy a meal again. Don’t assume that birthdays and holidays will be unbearably awful because you can’t stuff yourself to the bursting point with crap. Don’t assume you’ll never enjoy a vacation again.

What if turns out to be awesome? What if you love the new thing even more than the old thing? What if the new thing doesn’t, in fact, suck at all?