*The title of this post was taken from the Nine Inch Nails song of the same name*

Going clean was easy.

It was not quick.

I ran in waves of eliminating certain drugs in favor of others and watching my tolerance continue to climb for whatever I still allowed into my system.

The most bizarre of which was that the last two drugs I quit on were weed and cocaine; from one of the most socially acceptable to one of the least so.

Without boring you with all of the details, it took ten long years to finally say: I give up.

No more.

That’s the rule.

I find that to be the beauty of things like: veganism.

There are rules.

The rules say: I eat no animal products.

Great! That makes dietary options a bit easier to sift through.

But, if you’re a carnivore like me, there are options aplenty and not a lot of rules.

While I personally and professionally don’t find a lot of value in demonizing foods (or food groups), the reality is that some people just need rules.

If you have celiac disease, the rule is: no gluten. Problem solved.

Since we live in a culture of extremes, rules can work really well. Some personalities (myself included) thrive on a black and white approach to problem solving.

As can be expected, some personalities do NOT thrive on rules. My buddy, Krista Scott-Dixon, wrote an excellent article about that here.

The great thing about these approaches is figuring out where you stand on the spectrum. It’s important to sort out which person you are. It’s also a significant reason why there is a dietary approach for everyone and rarely will you succeed on the same one your neighbor did.

By the way, did they regain that weight or keep it off? That’s helpful to know also.

Ask yourself:

Are there things in my life I’ve lost control over (food, exercise, sleep, hydration, alcohol, medications?)

What can I do to give myself more control so I can get better results with my own health and wellness?

It’s also helpful to know that whatever road you take, may not be the one you stay on. Maybe you need more dietary flexibility to get the first 20 lbs. off and more rigidity for the last 20 lbs.

Rules helped me redefine what my own health should look like. They also helped clients like Rob drop 60lbs in less than a year and keep it off. He set dietary guidelines for himself and didn’t waver until he hit his goal. He knew when it was time to give up certain behaviors so he could get his body in a better place.

Here’s Rob pulling 405 for a new personal record.

Which approach works for you?