What to do when you slip back into old eating patterns and blow your diet

When you make significant lifestyle changes, the journey is often not linear… There are bumps, disappointments and setbacks along the way. Here are a few thoughts about what to do when you slip back into old eating patterns and blow your diet…

If you’re most often at home and rarely eat out or with others, it’s easier to stay on track. This is not how most of us live however. There are holidays and events, parties, dinners out and vacations where we don’t have total control over the food we have available to eat. So what do you do when you slip backwards?

First and foremost, I can tell you from personal experience that drilling down and being very strict with what I’m eating pulls me right back if I’ve been wandering and eating a little more widely. This is most likely to be a challenge at holiday time or while on vacation. I don’t hesitate to have a bite (or two) of dessert at holiday time. That alone really isn’t the problem. It’s the buildup of the bites…also, you can become overly confident that you are doing really well and feeling fine while eating a bit more widely. It can sneak up on you, and before you know it, you start to feel a little off. Maybe a bit less up, less energetic. I become edgier and less patient as well as just not feeling as positive and upbeat. Sometimes I start to feel down and “in my head” again, which lets me know I need to take a look at what I’m eating.

The question of what to eat when you’re travelling and on vacation is also a challenge. When you’re flying, always take food with you to eat on the plane. The last thing I want to do is start a vacation or a business conference off by eating food that will not support me in feeling well or enjoying myself. I make sandwiches out of gluten free bread and put almond butter on it. That with some cucumber slices, almonds, walnuts or cashews and a piece of fruit is plenty for the day until I get to my destination.

For me, getting back on track means lots of green salads with fresh vegetables and a small serving of protein with nearly every meal. Not only do I feel better in a couple of days, my energy level goes up and frankly, I drop a few pounds. That alone helps me feel better!

I guess rule #1 for all of us is to take something healthy with us that will stop us from making a food choice we will regret later. One nutrition bar I use as my go-to choice is Nu-Go Slim Brownie Crunch Bars. They are gluten free, have only 2 grams of sugar (which is really low for a nutritional bar), and they have 16 grams of protein!

Learn to be aware of when you feel great and what you’ve been eating and when you don’t feel so great and what you’ve been eating. This awareness gives you wonderful guidance in your not so linear journey to feeling better mentally and physically through healthy eating and will rescue you when you get off track and blow your diet!

Helping You Achieve Major Wellness!

Cheryl A Major, CNWC

Certified Nutrition & Wellness Consultant

I’m Cheryl A Major, and I work with people of all ages and challenges to help them understand how and what to eat to get healthy quickly and deliciously. Download your 10 Tips for Healthy Eating on a Budget, and get started right away!

Cheryl A Major, CNWC