What to Do When You Fall Off Track: 3 Tips

It's okay to indulge every once in a while! The problem arises the next day when we crave that food again... and we indulge... again. Here’s how to stick to a healthy diet!

As human beings (yes you are only human), we have a tendency to have a goal, move toward it, and then stumble. Here's where we are really tested. 

I say this because it is inevitable that you will stumble. The true test is whether or not we can bounce back and continue to move forward despite setbacks. Three steps forward, one step back, three MORE steps forward, one back... 

Oftentimes we commit to a certain diet or way of eating, and we're doing so WELL that we decide to "reward" ourselves in the form of a snack-- maybe it's a little piece of chocolate or a little bag of potato chips. It's okay to indulge every once in a while! The problem arises the next day when we crave that food again... and we indulge... again. Maybe that day we add in another treat. At some point we're not really eating that well, so we figure we may as well just KEEP indulging. The "Well... I already ate a bagel this morning, might as well eat pizza for dinner-- this day is shot... and it IS the weekend-- I'll just be "good" again tomorrow" mentality. Sound familiar?

I want to introduce some concepts to help you when you feel yourself falling off track...

3 Tips for Sticking to Your Healthy Diet:

  1. Rewards don't have to take the form of food: For some reason when we're eating well, many of us "reward" ourselves with an indulgent food. The problem with this, among a million things, is it implies that the food you're eating otherwise is punishment. In reality, the best kind of "diet" is when we're enjoying the food we're eating and it just.... happens to be healthy. For instance, if you don't like Brussels sprouts, don't eat them. There are a ton of other great veggies. If you DO like Brussels sprouts then love them up! When you feel that need for "indulging" ask yourself what you're really craving. Are you craving comfort? Maybe call a loved one or make yourself a cup of tea and listen to music. Are you anxious and just want something to do? Then get up and go for a walk, instead of noshing on the nearest crunchy goodness.
  2. Look at it with curiosity, not judgment: A good portion of our health is our mentality. We know from study after study that stress not only manifests in our heads-- it also manifests in our bodies (in the form of poor digestion, colds, acne, eye twitches, tight muscles, headaches, etc). When we beat ourselves up for "falling off track" we set ourselves up for further self-sabotage and perpetuate negative thoughts. We say something like, "Man why did I eat that?" and the internal dialogue that follows is, "Why do I have no self-control? Why do I keep messing up?" etc, which feeds into doubt in other areas of your life. What if instead, you said, "Hmmm... I ate [_____], and now I'm feeling [_tired/bloated/etc_]. Isn't that interesting? Is that how I want to feel? How do I want to feel? And why is that important to me?"
  3. Commit to something: Once you've defined what you want and what having that will do for you, identify the steps that will help you get there. Juicing always helps me when I feel like I'm falling off track. It helps reset my mental attitude as well as the biochemical aspects that lead to cravings. By committing to drinking juice, it removes a lot of the clutter in my head about what to eat. Simplicity leads to calmness and clarity. If we are overwhelmed we can't think straight. And if we can't think straight we can't make the best possible decisions for ourselves. Additionally, all the nutrients and minerals in juice help replenish missing or imbalanced levels in your body. What this means for you is, less nagging cravings! 

Try committing to something that works within your lifestyle. What I mean by this is, if you want to do a full-on juice cleanse, then power to you! If that terrifies you or doesn't work within your lifestyle try juicing until dinner or having juice for breakfast each day. Whatever you do, commit to something! 

And when you fall off track, look at it with curiosity, acknowledge what you really need and why that's important to you, and move forward!! I believe in you!