We’ve
all been there… everything was going
to plan… you felt like you were doing really well with your workouts, sticking
with a balanced eating plan and feeling in control.
Then the hot weather
arrived, the weekend rolled around and you went completely off track because
you were travelling, vising family, or having BBQ’s all weekend. You ate, and
ate, and ate some more, and now you are feeling rotten after eating and
drinking so much…!! You may even feel annoyed because you lost all control and
depressed because you allowed yourself to get uncomfortably full. As you got
dressed today, your clothes helpfully reminded you of just how much you
overindulged this weekend. Now what do you do?
Well
firstly, don’t beat yourself up for overeating; that will just make you feel
worse. Take a look at what happened and view it as a learning experience; a
chance to actually turn it into a positive and reduce the chances of it
happening too often. What could you have done differently? What triggered you
to keep eating even though you were full? What were you feeling in the moment?
How are you feeling now? What are you going to do differently next time?
The
tendency after a binge is to overly restrict calories the next day to make up
for the excess calories consumed the previous day(s)… don’t do this; this
strategy will only lead you into another binge later on, then re-triggering the
cycle of beating yourself up – feeling
bad – restrict calories – binge – beat yourself up – feeling bad – restrict
calories - binge, etc, etc.
Not
good! Stop it!
Resist
the urge to pull out the weighing scales to assess the damage. Instead, focus
on getting back into your healthy habits today
and the rest of this week. Weigh yourself again next week.
Every
time we come unstuck on our healthy journey, we have two choices: to keep
walking backwards, which will just continue taking us even further away from
your goals; or to accept our lack of perfection as ‘normal’ and forgivable, and
take not one, but two positive steps down the path that brings us closer to the
future we want;-
(1)
Get back in the routine of eating regular, healthy meals, including a healthy
breakfast and
(2)
Drink plenty of water.
I
recommend a minimum of 1 litre per day for every 5 stones (70 lbs) you weigh;
this needs to be adjusted higher to take into account hot weather, prolonged
exercise and alcohol consumption. Drinking plenty water also helps in flushing
all those toxins from your system, so be sure to keep a bottle with you on-the-go
at all times.
Also,
include high protein foods back into your eating plan this week. Aim to eat 20-30 grams of protein at every
meal, this will help your body shed water and curb your cravings for refined
carbs. Also be sure to include plenty of
green vegetables like cucumbers, green peppers, kale, mixed greens, and
broccoli into your diet to cleanse your body from white sugar, flour, and
processed food consumed while you were binge eating.
If
you’ve read this far, it might be that you’ve been heading ‘backwards’ for a
while. But instead of waiting until tomorrow, next week, next month or even
next year to overhaul your habits, start TODAY. In fact, start NOW, and start
small. You can’t go from lounging on the sofa to running 10k in an afternoon.
But you can do one, two or even a
handful of small things that will help you regain your momentum for healthy
living.
If
you thought that getting back on track was overwhelming, try one (or more) of
these small steps each day; you might just surprise yourself…!!
(1)
Try a short workout. Even five minutes
is better than nothing.
(2)
Try a new recipe. Cooking healthy
foods can actually be fun and it doesn’t need to be bland.
(3)
Eat a healthy
breakfast.
Don’t skip this one; your morning meal sets the stage for the rest of your day,
so start it off right!
(4)
Drink your water. Did I mention
water..?? we need a litre of water every day for each 5 stone we weigh. Do this
and you’ll feel the difference!
(5)
Make a food diary. No matter how it
adds up, you’ll learn from it. Make a note of everything you eat, everything
you drink, the quantities you consume and the time of day you consume them.
(6)
Share your goals. Whether you post
them on your Facebook page or share them with a friend, you’ll feel more
accountable.
(7)
Exercise for 10
minutes.
Try a skipping rope, march on-the-spot, or do some crunches. Small amounts do add up to something big!
(8)
Find a buddy. Get support from
friends, whether you need someone to listen, a mentor to give you ideas and
encouragement or someone to be competitive with, buddying up will take you closer to your goals
(9)
Go for a walk. Don’t worry about
how long or far you go—just get out there!
(10)
Create
a motivational collage or ‘dreams board’. Include pictures of your goal and
reasons why you want to get there.
(11)
Check the nutrition
facts before you go out to eat. That way, you can make an informed choice.
(12)
Get on your bike. Even a leisurely
ride has benefits for your body and
mind.
(13)
Work in the garden. Gardening is a great
way to add activity to your day.
(14)
Take the stairs
instead of the lift.
Or use the upstairs loo instead of the downstairs loo. Even if this is the only
thing you do all day, you’ll feel stronger for it.
(15)
Measure your
portions.
It’s a simple way to learn how much you’re eating.
(16)
Eat a piece of fruit. Even if 5-7 servings
of fruit and vegetables sounds impossible to you, one is certainly doable.
(17)
Slow down during
meals.
You’ll be less likely to overeat and more likely to enjoy your meal.
(18)
Play! What kids call
“play,” we often call “exercise.” Play a sport, a game, or use the playground
equipment to bring the fun back into fitness.
(19)
Learn something new. Sometimes simply
taking a quiz or reading an article about nutrition, fitness, or health can
change your mindset and get you back on track.
(20)
Have an early night. The quality of your
sleep directly affects the quality of your waking life; including your mental
sharpness, productivity, emotional balance, creativity, physical vitality, and
of course, your weight. In fact, no other activity delivers so many benefits with
so little effort.
With
healthy eating and exercising, as long as you’re consistently out-stepping your
steps back, you really are ahead of the game. If you expect perfection (and many of us
do), you’re setting yourself up for disappointment, guilt and feeling rotten.
You
CAN get back on track today. Even if
you’re moving slowly, you’ll be moving in the right direction!
Keep
it all going..
Tony
