I asked him about the power of attitude when it comes to maintaining good health. And, his response was both so true and so frightening. He said that attitude is very important. However, you can’t make someone with a bad attitude believe that.

Wow, in a time when we need every tool in the toolbox to get through this season of fear, anxiety, stress and sickness, I don’t want to be that person who folds their arms and refuses to see the point of staying positive. I don’t have the luxury of passing on the benefits of Maintaining a good attitude. 

With that said, the capital “M” in Maintaining was not a typo. Maintaining a good attitude right now takes a next-level measure of intentionality. My thoughts and emotions want to pull the covers over my head and stay negative, but I know I’ve got to budget time and energy for exercising those good attitude muscles.

So, I thought I’d share an attitude adjustment activity I’ll be working out with this week. In order to join me, you’ll need to raid the game closet for a six-sided die. 

Every morning, roll the die: 

When you roll a 1, say something you like about yourself (physically). (For example, I like my feet.) 

When you roll a 2, say something you’re thankful for. (For example, I’m thankful for this time together with my kids.)

When you roll a 3, remember a win from your keto journey. (For example, I remember how excited I was to move from a size 14 to a size 12 because it meant I didn’t have to shop exclusively in the women’s section of stores.)

When you roll a 4, say a food you love that you can eat on Keto. (For example, I love ground beef.)

When you roll a 5, say something you’re good at. (For example, I am awesome at singing in the shower.)

When you roll a 6, say a reason to stay keto. (For example, I plan on dancing at my youngest nephew’s wedding. He’s in first grade right now, so I’m going to need to stay healthy for many years to come.)

Don’t move forward with the rest of your day until you complete this workout, allowing time to roll and land on all 6 sides of the die. It may feel forced at first. But, you won’t regret taking the time to build those positivity muscles. Instead of dreading the future, let’s get pumped!

It’s probably why I am so passionate about product reviews. I don’t want people to be taken advantage of by the celebrity endorsements, clever advertisements and company propaganda of a product. I want to investigate and report the facts of something being introduced to the keto community, so folks can make the best decisions for their personal health journey and family wallet.

I guess that’s the Lois Lane in me. (Does that make Joe Clark Kent/Superman?!)

Every now and then, a newspaper I worked for would be forced to print a retraction. They had published an article with wrong dates, wrong quotes, or some other wrong information. Basically, they had made a mistake. And, by printing a retraction article, they were attempting to admit their error. It’s not a pleasant experience to admit you blew it. But, a newspaper with enough integrity to admit their mistakes actually tended to gain trust from their audience. Readers, it turns out, don’t expect you to never make a mistake. They just expect you to be honest about it when you do.

That being said, when newspapers print a retraction, they don’t put it on the front page. You are never going to see an above-the-fold headline on the cover of the Washington Post that reads: “We Totally Dropped The Ball.”

Of course, critics would sometimes write letters-to-the-editor complaining, “Hey, you buried the headline! You should have given more prominence to your mistake.”

It didn’t change company policy, though. 

Newspaper victories get the front page. Newspaper defeats get buried below the obituaries.

Unfortunately, I haven’t adopted the newspaper policy on my keto journey.

When I make a mistake, (i.e. eat off-plan, leave my meal window hanging wide open, snack between meals, don’t drink enough water, drink too much coffee or indulge in too many keto treats), it takes front page of my day. I feel tremendously guilty. I may have a great victory to celebrate as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend or employee…but I don’t. I don’t celebrate. 

Instead, I tend to focus on the mistake and it really becomes “breaking” news: breaking my heart, breaking my confidence, and breaking my forward momentum. Maybe you struggle with the same problem.

Below are Rachel and Joe’s macros that they try to achieve every day.  We have also listed what we ate each day, along with the nutritional breakdown.  Any item that is in blue can be clicked on to take you to the recipe for that dish.  The skillet cookie and Mama’s meatloaf recipe came from Keto Connect’s cookbook, Keto made Easy.

Rachel’s Macros

Joe’s Macros

Day 1:

5 pm Meal Time

Day 2:

5:45 Meal time

Day 3:

4:45 Meal time

Day 4:

6:00 Meal time

Day 5:

3:30 Meal time