Have you ever struggled to lose weight and then for some reason you cheat? So what do you do after you have cheated on your diet? It’s happened to all of us at one point or another. We are just breezing along on our healthy weight loss plan, and then suddenly, sometimes out of nowhere, we are out of control and eat something we really shouldn’t have.
While this is a common experience that the majority of us share, it does not have to mean disaster and failure in your healthy eating diet if you keep your senses and take action to minimize the damage. Here are a few do’s and don’ts after “cheating:”
First of all, you need to forgive yourself. After all, you’re only human! Just give yourself a friendly reminder that you are trying to change deeply ingrained old habits, and that takes time and persistence. Most of us, however disciplined and focused we are inevitably slip sometimes.
Secondly, honestly assess how bad the cheat was. Did you have one serving of chocolate cake, or did you down an entire pizza, a 6-pack of beer and a roll of raw cookie dough? Was it a one-time cheat, or did you go on a bender and eat non-stop for several days. Did you go on vacation and blow it for the whole week? In being honest with yourself when you are thinking about where you cheated, most of the time you will realize that the cheat wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Even if it was a huge binge you can still take steps to get quickly back on track.
DON’T assume that you’ve messed up your diet and you will be a fat failure forevermore. Don’t beat yourself up and call yourself names. Don’t tell yourself that you’re weak, that you have no willpower and can’t do anything right. This is just you beating yourself up unnecessarily – you just went a little off course, that’s all.
DON’T starve yourself as punishment or in an effort to try forcing your body to lose the weight you gained from a cheat! Eating too little will only slow down your metabolism and make matters worse. The other thing is that when you skip a meal or two, you often find that you are wanting to snack after you eat the one meal or that you are even more hungry than had you eaten three meals.
DON’T QUIT! Don’t see your cheat as a “failure” – see it as an opportunity to do better from this moment on.
Are You Setting Yourself Up for Failure?
Depending on the magnitude of the cheat, you may want to take a few steps for the next few days that can help you bring your body back into fat-burning mode.
Increase your water intake If you cheated with foods that are high in sugar, fat and sodium, drinking more water can help your body flush out toxins – especially if you add in some lemon water – and any excess water that it may be retaining due to the content of the food you ate. Drink enough water so that you are going to the bathroom often and your urine is virtually clear in color.
Eat High-Fiber Vegetables which are nutrient-rich vegetables for a few days, especially vegetables like spinach, broccoli, cabbage, avocado, and Brussel sprouts. This will help keep you feeling full while stimulating your digestive system to keep things moving along smoothly, and boosting your metabolism because these foods require your body to expend quite a high amount of energy to digest them.
Also, if you cheated with a food that has now triggered cravings for more of the same food, you will unfortunately have to patiently wait it out until the cravings pass. Drinking water helps, and one of the doTERRA Essential Oils I sell – Slim & Sassy – if used three to five times a day can also help the cravings.
Some foods, like sugar, create a chemical chain-reaction in your body that makes you want more and more of them. When a craving comes over you, simply take a few deep breaths, get out your Slim & Sassy oil…drink some water, and it will pass. Just make sure you wait until it does.
Cheating on your diet is not the end of the world – it’s not even the end of your diet, if you simply use your common sense and do what you can to get back on track as quickly as possible. However, if you find you are consistently cheating, make some adjustments, because losing weight permanently means making changes you can live with for the rest of your life. It’s not just about a weight loss diet, it’s about a lifestyle change.
Exercise
Exercise helps recovery as well. It might seem counter-intuitive, but regular movement and mobility work is important for joint and muscle health. Movement signals to the joints to stay lubricated and to keep producing valuable proteins. Movement helps deliver nutrients to the joints and muscles. In the first 24 hours after exercise, collagen synthesis and breakdown both increase, meaning we temporarily lose collagen during this time. However, in the following 48 hours, this breakdown decreases. We obtain collagen rebuilding and synthesis. Synthesis means healing. This is why if you’re doing some type of strenuous exercise routines, you should take a day off from training sessions twice a week.
So, this week’s challenge is to get up and get moving! This can be taking a hike, going for a bike ride, playing sports, or just going on a walk. As long as it gets the muscles warm and increases blood flow to wherever you may feel sore, then it counts.
So to recap, don’t let cheating keep you from getting back “on the horse.” Forgive yourself and move forward. The quicker you get back on track, the better off you will be. If this is you, I know you can do it – you can break through and get back on track. If you need a little extra support just reply to this email and I would be happy to encourage and support you.
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