FELL OFF PLAN? PICK YOURSELF UP!

It only takes a moment for your diet to go from terrific to terrible. No matter how good your intentions, you can’t expect to follow it 100%, every minute of the day. There will be those times when you have something not so great, but the trick is to figure out not only why it happens but also how you can jump straight back in plan.

IF YOU HAVE FALLEN OFF PLAN – AND EVERYONE DOES – HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU GET BACK ON TRACK.

1. KNOW THAT LASPES HAPPEN
It happens to us all. Don’t beat yourself up and you’ll feel like a failure which can lead you to give up altogether. Exceeding your kcals for the day is simply a lapse. Recognise it, but don’t let it get out of control. String enough lapses together and you’ve got a relapse and you’re back to square one.

2. KNOW WHAT TRIGGERS YOU TO EAT SOMETHING YOU SHOULDN’T
Most can identify what triggers them to eat something they shouldn’t. Stress can be a big one. When people eat in response to stress it’s because they think it will make them feel better and maybe it does momentarily, but then the guilt sets in, which stresses you out which causes you to eat more. Fatigue, loneliness, frustration, boredom – there’s a whole host that can trigger. Sometimes people in your life are the problem, always urging you to have something ‘just this once.

3. FIGURE OUT HOW YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR RESPONSE NEXT TIME
If emotional eating is a problem for you, work on finding other ways to deal with your emotions that don’t involve food. When your emotions are getting the best of you and food is calling, try writing your thoughts down, calling a friend or turning on soothing music instead.

4. TALK NICELY TO YOURSELF
If you have eaten something you shouldn’t and the little voice in your head is saying, ‘You’re such a failure, you’ll never lose weight!’ You need to be a little nicer to yourself. Instead, say the same thing to yourself that you’d say to a friend if you were offering support. ‘So, you got stressed and grabbed a doughnut – it’s not the end of the world. Let’s take a walk at lunch to burn off some extra calories and stop for a salad on the way back.

5. WAIT IT OUT
Delay tactics can work really well when you’re feeling tempted to eat something you shouldn’t. If you’re keeping a food diary, take a look before you indulge. Considering what you’re about to eat, and why, can be enough to stop you in your tracks. It also helps to tell yourself that you’ll wait 10 mins once the urge strikes, to see if you still feel the need to indulge. Most of the time, you’ll get busy doing something else and just forget about it.

6. GET BACK ON TRACK RIGHT AWAY
Don’t let the day get away from you. A slip is one thing – just done let it turn into a fall. If you are cookies not to worry, just pick it right back up the next meal. It’s too late to do anything about the last meal you had – focus instead on the one you plan to have next.

7. REMIND YOURSELF OF HOW MUCH YOU’VE ACCOMPLISHED
Sometimes after a slip, it helps to do a little ‘system reset’. Think about what motivated you to make changes in the first place, about how far you’ve come, and the accomplishments you’ve made. You have the know how and the commitment- and you know you can achieve your goals because you’ve been making progress. Remember that progress is measured in many ways – not only by what the scale says. Every time you make the best choice in the restaurant, pack a healthy lunch, then down an offer of food you don’t want or skip the doughnut when you’re stressed and take a deep breath instead – you win.