I can drag out that last box of cookies in the food supply for weeks. Meanwhile, I continue to allow myself the free taste of fried orange chicken at the mall, and the potluck cheesecake as I agonize over how much I am going to miss these delights.

The quitting date gets pushed further, and I am not really even enjoying the slow sentimental release. It’s like a soap opera death scene where every single character has to have their last moment in the hospital goodbyes. Just let the woman die already, she got hit by that yacht weeks ago! But, I’ll never forget you, apple strudel.  

In my many diet starts, I have found that going cold turkey is the least painful option. Simply set a clear date that best suits your life. Quitting the week before your birthday is jumping on the wagon trail to doom town. If your work is especially stressful and involves free burgers and cookies that week, maybe wait until that program is completed.

If your work is always stressful though, just start already. If your doctor is giving you a squinted stare down with acronyms such as IBS, just own the moment and make the switch fast and firm. Eating right will lower your stress levels once you have a grip on it, especially if you’re giving up that “white pony” of refined sugar.

‘Going cold turkey’ is a phrase coined among drug addicts and alcoholics. Anyone who has given up sugar or gluten knows the cold shakes that come from a warm brownie set before you. Sugar lights up the same part of the brain as cocaine or heroine. Gluten and dairy break down into protein chains that have similar effects as morphine. It is fair to say that you are a brave soul to enter your own private rehab for any food habits.

Once you quit your smack, be prepared with snacks. A chewy item for a gluten fix, a sweet item for sugar highs, or a coconut cream substitute for dairy can appease the munchies. Carry appetite suppressants such as nuts or apples with you, and drink tulsi tea to balance your digestion and lower your stress levels. Drinking a lot of water and tea can also make things go more swimmingly as you detoxify.

As you change your eating habits, your body needs time to adjust, and your willpower needs time to build. You might find your energy levels bouncing, emotional crashes, abnormal hunger, or that you are more irritable than usual. Trust that this is a temporary state. After the hump of the first three weeks, it gets much easier.

It is essential to let your family and friends know that you need some extra support during the beginning. Teasing and enticing you is crap, and they should owe you a foot massage for each infraction. Pep talks, kind interventions, and discretion with ice cream consumption are acts of love that you should feel lucky to have.

While encouragement is grand, no one can do this for you. It is up to you to say good words to yourself that motivate your daily choices. Find your own serenity prayer to pull you through. Even the simple words, “I got this”, repeated in moments of craving, can bring your strength up.

Do it. Empty out your cupboard of the conflict item, go find some recipes that replace your usual meals and start cooking. It’s all a lot easier and more dignified.

Honor that you are a bad ass for taking on a challenge that terrifies many. If those who are blissfully unaware of food rehab tease you about it, just know that they are scared of your ultimate willpower. Anything non-essential that you cannot give up for one month, owns you. You are owning your life. Be that turkey.