So You Blew Your Diet, Now What?
06/23/2012
Yes, you are what you eat but just because you have a bad day doesn’t mean that you’re a terrible person. It doesn’t mean you’re unhealthy and it doesn’t mean you lack willpower. In fact, none of the above are necessarily true. The real shame isn’t in blowing your diet, but in the way you treat yourself afterwards.
Realistically, eating healthy about 80 percent of the time is all you can really ask from most people. Worrying about your diet every hour of the day seven days a week is a real drag on your overall happiness.
Give Your System a Chance to Reboot
Don’t worry about the damage that’s been done. Instead, worry about fixing what needs to be fixed. In most cases, whether you ate a super salty meal or you drank too many glasses of wine the night before, hydration is key.
1. Rehydrate. Drink more water than you think you need. You may want to add lemon to help with the bloat.
2. Get reacquainted with your system. That means avoid eating until you’re hungry. And when you do get hungry, load up on water-based foods like fruits and vegetables in order to push junky food out of your system.
3. Avoid caffeine which dehydrates you and forces your body to hold on to the bulge.
4. Go for a jog. It will extinguish some of that guilt and make you feel so much better.
5. Be compassionate toward yourself. Don’t hate yourself for something as stupid as eating a hamburger and French fries. When you step back and think about it, the idea is ridiculous.
6. Try a kombucha. This a great for detoxing and they’re also uplifting.
7. Avoid eating out the next week. Most of the damage we do to our diets is done at restaurants so avoid eating out until you’re back on track.
8. Take a look at your triggers. What situations lead you to overeat? Is it going to a cocktail party hungry, alcohol in general, or certain kinds of food? Take a closer look and learn from it.
9. Get over it. Let go of the guilt and move on.
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