Falling Off the Proverbial Wagon

It’s happened to anyone who has a healthy lifestyle.  Your cruising along with eating right, working out 5-6 days a week, limiting your alcohol intake, sleeping 7-9 hours a night thinking life is good and MAN, I feel great!  And then KA-BLAM!!!  Something(s) derails you and you feel like you are back to square one.  Or you do the complete opposite and use that entire day as a “cheat” day because why not?  You’ve already blown your eating for the day, right?  Well……..let’s discuss.

I will freely admit that I have had this train of thought more than once in my life.  I already had a piece of cake (my weakness), so I guess I can eat whatever I want for the rest of the day because I’ve already blown my calories.  I then proceed to have pure junk for the majority of the day.  Candy bars.  Chips.  More cake.  And there’s no point in me going to the gym because it would take me 3 hours to burn off all these calories so I am just going to sit at home and watch TV.  Probably not the best way to handle that situation.

The other side to that coin is the “I’ve had a piece of cake so I can only have veggies the rest of the day and I have to work out for 2 hours tonight to burn off those calories” day.  But does that really help?  Is that the best way to handle this type of situation?  Again, probably not.

So then what, exactly, are you supposed to do when you give in to that sweet tooth or salty tooth (everyone’s weakness is different)?  How do you handle having a cheat day versus a cheat meal or snack?  I am so glad you asked J 

It’s normal for us to get off track every now and then with our eating or working out.  It’s difficult to resist your weakness.  That’s why it’s called a weakness.  Whether it’s cake (yum!), cookies (yum!), chocolate from Belgium (double yum!), potato chips, pretzels, or something else, it stares us in the eye tempting us to just give in.  The challenge, of course, is to NOT give in.  But again, we are human and self-control only goes so far.  So when you do give in, make sure it doesn’t define your whole day and mentality.  Having a candy bar for dessert isn’t going to automatically add a pound to your weight.  Our bodies are a bit more efficient than that.  But you have to control yourself enough to just have that one candy bar (or whatever your treat is).  You also can’t beat yourself up about it.  That doesn’t do any good either. 

What is good, though, is that you recognize and acknowledge that you are making that decision to have whatever it is you are having.  Is it because you are really craving it?  Is it because everyone else is having whatever you are craving?  Is it because you’re bored?  It could be any of these things, really.   I’ve been known to eat A LOT when I’m bored.  Which is just another reason I hate to be bored. 

My point, here, is that if you fall off the wagon for a meal or snack, it does not need to define the rest of your day or your mentality.  Acknowledge what you did and then get back on track with your NORMAL eating for the rest of the day.  Don’t skimp on calories to make up for it.  And don’t overdo it in the gym to make up for that backslide.  You don’t need to spend 3 hours at the gym that night because that’s going to frustrate you and that’s never good. 

So stick with your healthy eating and healthy ways and if you hit a bump in the road, don't beat yourself up.  Acknowledge it and move on.  You are stronger than that! 

BE BOLD! BE YOU!