What Level Are You On?

DONT READ UNTIL YOU CAN GIVE 100% FOCUS!! 

It is worth reading this whole thing. Really read it and think about where you’re at. Use it to help you and be honest with yourself when determining what level/s you think you are currently. Pay attention to all the levels and figure out where you are and where you want to be. 

WHERE ARE YOU IN YOUR HEALTH/IER NUTRITION LIFESTYLE 

Determining and recognizing where you are in your journey to a healthier life is the first step. There are seven levels and they all have scales of readiness, commitment, short term success, long term success, sabotage and difficulty. Be real with yourself and truly and honestly determine your starting level. If you don’t be honest with yourself on this initial answer, ironically, you have just put yourself into the correct category anyway!

LEVEL 1

Occasional and minimal thoughts of change.

    -Level 1 has a low readiness and low commitment level. Only thinking of making a

healthier choice 1-2% of the time and it's usually not a difficult choice. An example of this   would be skipping a second helping of dessert because “you know you shouldn't” after having a fried chicken dinner with all the fixins’. There is no long-term or short-term success involved in this low difficulty plan. There is however a moderate sabotaging factor in this approach. If you turn down the second dessert and happen to monitor your health progress and you don’t have any success many people respond by thinking “well since it doesn't make a difference, why should I even try?” So, next time the opportunity to have that second dessert arrives the probability of indulging increases. As you’ll find out through the different levels of journey Level 1 is actually not the most unhealthy level you can start.

LEVEL 2

Different diet every first two to three days of the week.

-Level 2 has a sporadic and almost obsessive readiness and commitment level. This level is a type of fad dieting that is the most frustrating. It has a zero long term success and very low and highly sabotaging long term success rate. It also comes with a high difficulty rating due to the preparation and disappointment that follows such a plan of attack. Come Sunday night 20 tupperware containers line the fridge filled with ½ cup brown rice, 5 oz of dry chicken breast, 1 cup of broccoli, and a $5.00 super veggie, fat incinerating, don’t have to do shit along with it, miracle protein shake, ready to go for Monday through Friday. This level is very unhealthy and very frustrating. If anything throughout the day alters this plan the week turns into back to preparing Sunday and resetting on Monday morning.  The slip up could happen anytime during the week. This approach is only successful if you have learned how to cope with variabilities that do and will occur throughout the weeks and days.  Which put you into a different level all together.

LEVEL 3

The “they” say so diet.

-Level 3 has the best intentions in the world. The commitment and readiness is moderately high in this level, but it also has an unavoidable track for frustration and failure. I also call this approach to a healthier lifestyle the magazine and click bait approach. An individual in this level honestly want to do the healthiest thing but are all too confused. A person looks one way and sees an article on how dairy and eggs are bad, then the article right next to it explains why eggs and dairy are so important for healthy bones and teeth. WTF? Should I have it or not?! Another common example of this approach is one source says “don’t eat carbohydrates” and right next to that it says “eat your fruits and vegetables”. The long term and short term success rate varies greatly in this plan and is simply determined by the next headline. Where in reality, a person would have been much better off taking a balanced approach on the subject at hand in the first place! The sabotage rating here is also high, although there is no personal sabotaging intent, it is inevitably determined by the next article read. 

LEVEL 4

Excuses, excuses, excuses.

In level 4 the initial intent is good, but the most difficult part is who or what to blame the slip up on. Much like the previous low levels this is a very high frustration and sabotage rating place to be. Short term success on this level may or may not happen but as soon as something is variable throughout the day or week an excuse arises, maybe it’s viable or not, it doesn’t matter. “Oh my wife/husband gets those”, “I had a happy hour”, “I had an open house”, “I had 10 sessions that day”, “work was crazy”, etc….. This list is endless! There is no long term success or longevity with this plan. The actual readiness and commitment to this plan is one of the lowest you can have. Unfortunately, it is up to the individual to recognize and decide that the excuses, viable or not, must end.

LEVEL 5

No matter what!

During level 5 the readiness, commitment, and success are high at this level. No matter what these people stick to the plan. These people have decided I’ve been through this enough and I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired! The difficulty of this level is also very high. The sabotage is non-existent because no matter what they are sticking to the plan. This level is common in very successful people who see great changes over 1-3 years.  This level is necessary in any lifetime and long term change.  However, it should only be a stepping stone toward the higher levels of the health/ier nutrition lifestyle. Most people at this level appear somewhat selfish and may affect and try to influence others around them. This attempt at influencing is not malicious, but sometimes all too invasive. If you’re here, congratulations!  Let us move forward to actual happiness and a way more enjoyable lifestyle approach.

LEVEL 6

Controlled and truly lifelong.

The difficulty and sabotage in level 6 is low because someone has already been through the trenches of LEVEL 5 and this approach is truly embedded into a lifestyle.  As opposed to LEVEL 5, it is preferred to not drink, not eat sugar, and have fruits and vegetables any day over candy and bread.  The previous choices are not even choices anymore. The experiences from the past makes the decision for them. There is no determining short term success at this level because long term success has already been reached.  If you are here, fantastic!!! But…..there is one more step.

LEVEL 7

Blissful and full.

Every determining factor in level 7 is optimal.  No longer confused, selfish, judging, long-term, short-term, sabotaging, committing, or any level of difficult.  It just is. An individual's nutrition at this point is not even nutrition, it's just an enjoyable and sustainable part of life.  Someone may still may record their diet, but the reason isn’t accountability or a goal at all.  It’s to make sure the body and mind is going to keep feeling as good as it does currently.  The main difference between this level and LEVEL 6 is this level is not selfish at all.  If at a party they may have a drink or two and have no remorse whatsoever.  They will even eat a piece of wedding cake and don’t think twice about it. The next meal it’s back to feeling and living optimally.  A brunch scheduled the next morning, that’s cool too! They may or may not have that bloody mary.  It’s all good! This level cannot be reached successfully without going through the previous levels.

You may float in and out of some of these levels. Personally, I float between sometimes between 5 and 6 but I live the majority in LEVEL 6. I occasionally touch LEVEL 7 but not too often.  I’m improving and working too.  Determine your level and lets go from there!