8 Ways To Get Back On Track If You Fall Off The Diet Wagon
Now that the holiday has gone, you noticed that you fall off the diet wagon. So what do you do to get back on track? Follow these 8 tips.
If you’ve done well on your diet and then, all of a sudden, you have a day or more where you stray away from the routine that’s been working for you, you’re not alone. There’s hope for getting back on the diet wagon.
To start, don’t beat yourself up. After all, you’re only human, and humans make mistakes.
Instead of focusing on the fact that you ate sugar after months of sustaining, or you broke your rule of never eating fast food French fries, look at the bright side. Start fresh, just like you did on the day you decided to diet to lose weight.
For inspiration, take a look at the below eight ways to get back on track if you fall off the diet wagon.
How To Get Back On Track And Eat Healthy Again
Here are 8 tips that will help you get back on track after a holiday full of tasty, but heavy meals:
1. Compensate When You’ve Overindulged
To gain one pound, you would need to eat 3,500 calories over what your body requires. So a splurge on a rare occasion shouldn’t make a huge difference.
If you overindulge during one meal, try eating less during the next meal and fill up on veggies and other healthy fiber picks. If you overindulge over a longer period of time, such as a week during the holidays, restrict your calories and serving portions for the next week.
2. Stay Away From The Scale
Although you may have unpleasant visions of what the scale will register if you step on it after neglecting your diet, avoid weighing right then — especially after a major misstep.
For example, if you’ve overindulged in foods with tons of sodium, you might be retaining water, which will add extra pounds to the scale’s reading.
The best thing to do once you’ve gone off track is to give yourself at least a week of sticking to your diet before you weigh again.
3. Think About Why You Went Off Track
Get to the root of why you decided to go off track in the first place.
Perhaps it was the string of holiday parties that caused you to make food choices that aren’t diet-friendly. Or maybe you were super busy and became reliant on fast food, loaded with fat and calories.
Or it could be that you were stressed, sad, overwhelmed or ill.
Whatever the reason, try to put measures in place to prevent the behavior so you won’t find yourself going off track again.
4. Remember Why You Started A Diet In The First Place
It’s not only important to understand why you went off your diet, but it’s also important to examine the reasons why you started a diet in the first place.
Was it your doctor who recommended you lose weight? Was it because you were tired of being tired all the time and staring at a closet full of clothes that no longer fit?
If you take the time to get back in touch with your initial reasons for starting the diet, you may be able to re-inspire yourself.
5. Make It Easy To Succeed
Make a list of all the potential diet roadblocks that could affect you and come up with a plan of preventing them all. By planning ahead, you’ll be able to avoid sabotaging yourself most of the time.
For example, if your downfall is not wanting to prepare dinner after a long, hard day at work, then consider doing some meal prep on the weekends.
If you find yourself reaching for unhealthy snack foods, do a cleanout. Then restock your fridge and pantry with plenty of healthy and appealing choices.
6. Seek Out A Support System
The more people you tell about your diet, the more accountable you’ll be for getting and staying on track.
Think about your family members and friends. Is there someone you think would like to diet with you? If so, consider asking the person if they would like to be your accountability buddy.
All kinds of possibilities exist. Here are some things you can do together:
- Shop for food;
- Meal prep;
- Exercise;
- Give each other encouragement.
7. Don’t Make Yourself Miserable
Although you may be tempted to exercise like crazy to lose any weight you’ve gained, don’t. All you’ll probably do is end up making your muscles sore.
Instead, consider going to a gym and signing up for personal training.
Under the guidance of a fitness professional, you can learn how to exercise properly at a pace that will give you the best results. According to Amped Fitness, “Personal training is all about taking you from where you are, to where you want to be.”
8. Try Some New Diet-Friendly Foods Or Recipes
Maybe you deviated from your diet because you were bored with the same old things. To change things up a bit, try some new diet-friendly foods or recipes that you think you might enjoy.
Hopefully, these tips will help you get back on track and motivate you towards a healthy lifestyle.
