How To Stick to the #killgout Plan

​Why?  Why don't you stick to the #killgout plan?  Are you lazy? (no) Think you can ignore gout and it will go away?  (no) You think that your last gout is your last gout attack? (no) If your gout prevention plan is not in place, it's a good thing you're here reading this. (yes)

​...what does the #killgout plan look like?

If you look around on the internet for help, there are a number of good ideas about how to muster up the discipline to put the habits in place.  Zen Habits gave me a good format to work with, so I transformed their ideas to make them a little more gout specific. 

Here's the RUNDOWN

• ​Get Serious
  

It's hard to think anyone can't take gout seriously.  As you and I know, when you're agonizing down in the depths of an attack, nothing else matters.  Then...it finally passes and a day later you're back to drinking beer and eating junk like the last time was the LAST time.  Do yourself a favor; killing gout is a lifetime project - GET SERIOUS!  

• Don't Forget
  

If' you're like me, you get busy with your busy day and suddenly, at 3pm you realize that you haven't drank ANY water since 7:30am  That kind of forgetfullness is sure to lead to your next gout attack.  Same goes for eating well and eating consistently.  What can you do to keep yourself reminded and not forget to stick with the #killgout plan?  

• Get Uncomfortable

Yes.  Killing gout is uncomfortable.  All the beer drinking, eating whatever you want, all the hard partying and hard living...is what landed you with gout in the first place.  What is that definition of insanity...?  "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result"...isn't that it?​  

Well, if you want to keep getting gout, keep doing what you've been doing.  Do it now...get uncomfortable with doing some things you don't usually do or like to do - like going to the grocery store, buying your own food, coming home and prepping it yourself and making the changes to your diet that you've known you should all along.

• Confront Temptation

You like drinking beer, right?  (or whiskey, tequila, vodka, whatever)  Can you go into a bar, sit down with all your hard charging buddies and order a glass of water?  If the answer is no, then maybe you need to stop going to the bar.  Maybe you need to find some new friends.  Getting (and living with) gout is a bit like being an alcoholic; you're either in recovery, or you're not.  

• Stop Rationalizing

​Some people say that "rationalization" is the most dangerous thing in the world - we can talk ourselves into anything...like having another gout attack.  

Sleep well, eat clean, breathe deep, and move your body.  Another half hour of TV before we get to bed...7 1/2 hours of sleep will be ok...just one chocolate chip cookie won't hurt...it's too late to make it to the gym...  What are your rationalizations? 

Learn to listen to what that little voice in your head sounds like, then turn it off!  It takes discipline to identify it and commitment to turn it off, but you are a true killer of gout...you can do it!  

• No Negotiations

Take no prisoners.  Gout is non-negotiable.  You have to DECIDE and then stand by your decision.  When you waiver, gout returns.  There is no half way - the #killgout plan is full on, full in - when you negotiate with yourself to ease up, it is your first clue that gout is coming back for a visit.

• Stop Avoiding

I hear stories all the time of how people want to still live the life they've been living but don't want to get gout again. That just takes us back to the definition of insanity that we talked about a minute ago.  In some weird, left-handed way, gout is your best friend, the best thing that has ever happened to you.  With gout, yo​u've "burned the boats" - there is no turning back.  Now you really do have to learn what to do to take care of your health and then do it.  There is no turning back.

• Focus on the Important

Ten years ago when I started TGK, the pieces of the puzzle started coming together.  All of that turned into the Kill Your Gout FOR GOOD video program.  I guess you could say it is the ultimate #killgout plan.   In KYGFG, I give you the seven important areas of health that you need to focus on, AND, the how-to to getter done.  (pssst...if you buy the Kill Your Gout NOW! ebook first, you  get the option of a SMOKIN' deal on KYGFG)  

• Be Kind...to Yourself

I have a gout theory that those of us with gout live with a certain level of anger, whether outright or suppressed. It's that underlying anger that contributes to our struggle with gout.  ​That anger upsets our biochemical balance.  If we break it down (this is not supposed to be a psychoanalysis!) but internal anger sort of comes from our dissatisfaction with ourselves - like our deep-seated insecurities and lack of self-esteem.  

We need to accept ourselves and our shortcomings.  When we have that introspective recognition, it makes it a little easier to step back and muster up the discipline to focus on what's important and make progress toward being gout free.

• Eliminate the Barriers

​For the #killgout plan to be as efficient and effective as possible, I found that it comes down to a few critical pieces of the puzzle - "prep", or "being prepared" is high on that list.  Being unprepared is a big part of why you and I struggle with gout.  

All too often, we stay up too late, don't give ourselves enough time to stretch out and exercise in the morning, then rush through a breakfast of crap if we eat anything at all.  That sets us up for a day of failure.  The potential for the day to cascade into one poor decision after another, negatively impacting our health, is almost assured.

Become a Master of Prep; buy good food, avoid alcohol, plan to get good movement/exercise, mitigate stress, stay consistently hydrated, and sleep more than you need to - that is the #killgout plan in a nutshell.

​My #killgout plan

This is the fun part!  My #killgout plan is to keep coming up with all the things that might help you and keep you prepped and reminded and killing your gout!  They say if you want to learn something, try to teach it...so I'm trying!  I hope my stuff is helping you!

​Stick with the #killgout plan...

​The #killgout plan is simple: Take No Prisoners.  As we talked about earlier up the page, there are no negotiations, no rationalizations, we have to focus and get serious.  "Gout is just a painful omen of worse things to come...heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke..." ~ Bert Middleton, The Gout Killer

​Bottom-line:  It doesn't take much to stick to the #killgout plan.  It is just a D E C I S I O N.  You have to decide you've had enough and you MUST change this destructive pattern.