By far one of my favorite books I've read so far that is diet related is "Finally Thin" by Kim Bensen. I found it so beneficial that I even gave a copy away. I enjoy it because it has a lot of wisdom and I feel like I can relate to the author's story. Kim Bensen lost over 200 pounds in about 2 years and has kept it off over a decade. For those of us with a lot of weight to lose this is a long process and I find myself referring to many chapters in her book occasionally when I feel my motivation slipping.
So I made a mistake this weekend. It is fine. I'm human. The important thing is that I can't proceed with an "all or nothing" attitude anymore. When I have a slip up I just need to recover and move on. It's about learning to get back on track. I can't throw away the whole day/week just because I've made a bad food choice.
The 5 steps:
1). Stop! Clean the House! Throw away anything that isn't on plan. "Stop the madness! Remember, it's either waste or waist! Which do you want?"
2). Plan! Plan! Plan! Preplan your next few meals. Take control over your meal plan again. I personally often find that if I have a bad dinner that if I can plan on "on-plan" set of meals for the next day then I'm ok. Start with breakfast, focus on one meal at a time and get back on track :)
3). Prepare. Go to the store and restock your house, cut up your fruits and vegetables so they are easy to grab, portion out your snacks, buy a new food journal, etc.
4). Ask for help. This is often a difficult one for me. It is ok to admit that you need help. Tell your accountability buddy, friend, family member that you need a little help to get back in control. Maybe even ask for people to do more non-food related activities with you instead of always going out to dinner.
5). Do it! You can get the diet honeymoon phase again, just clean your house, plan, prepare, and ask for a little help. Stick to it for several days and you'll be back! Just do it!
"You have to learn to do this Five-Step Recovery Process, because you will always have to do it. Perfection isn't possible, but long-term weight loss and maintenance are. Every person who loses a lot of weight and maintains it has to regroup from time to time and find fresh motivation."Monday back on the plan has worked for me! I have my meals planned for tomorrow and have a session with the trainer. Thanks to the help from all my readers giving me the support and the extra push to be ok with my mistakes and keep going has really helped! Thank you! I'm feeling better and more motivated already. Let's do this!
What tips do you have for getting back on track after you've fallen off the wagon?
This sounds like a great book. I'm going to check it out. I too have found that others share the same thoughts and struggles about weight loss. At first, I thought I was the only one but after reading blogs, I know that isn't the case. My tip for when you get off track is to immediately jump back on and not to think all hope is gone. When I started incorporating cheat meals into my diet, I thought I had ruined my progress and wanted to give up. I have now learned cheat meals really help and are really beneficial.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing your victories and insight with me! I so appreciate it, being challenged health wise. Getting back on track is just like you said pretend you are starting on day one :)
ReplyDeleteMy biggest tip is to be mindful of what you are telling yourself. If you have one donut and then think, "well, I ate one... might as well go big or go home and eat the whole dozen..." then you are going to get further and further away from recovering. Also, I prefer not to think of treats as "slip ups." That is one thing I love about Weight Watchers. There is room for you to have a treat without feeling like you have just undone all of your healthy eating.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest tip is to be mindful of what you are telling yourself. If you have one donut and then think, "well, I ate one... might as well go big or go home and eat the whole dozen..." then you are going to get further and further away from recovering. Also, I prefer not to think of treats as "slip ups." That is one thing I love about Weight Watchers. There is room for you to have a treat without feeling like you have just undone all of your healthy eating.
ReplyDeleteGood for you!!! Way to get quickly back on track!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI think I may have to check that book out!
ReplyDeleteI guess my biggest tip is to remember that one slip day is not the end of the world and even though it may be UGLY, log it. I'm a stress eater and I found myself cramming girl scout cookies when my grandpa was in the hospital. As bad as I didn't want to, I faced the music and logged on MFP. 1500 calories worth of caramel delights later, I let it go.
Don't sweat the small stuff :) Life is too short to have your entire diet thrown off by one or two or ten crappy days!
Brilliant! This is so, so important. My experience comes from a little different perspective, since I've worked with people on different addictions/habits as a therapist. But I know it is absolutely essential for people to remove the word "never" from their vocabulary. It is so overwhelming to think you can NEVER make a mistake.
ReplyDeleteKeeping a perspective that slip-ups will happen is important.
I heard someone say (and this was about quitting smoking, but I think it applies), that when you slip up you train yourself to say, "I'm just collecting data." And then you think about what the triggers were for the slip-up, and basically do what you outlined in your post to prevent similar slip-ups. YOU JUST DON'T BEAT UP ON YOURSELF.
Planning is KEY for me!
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips! I have found that I do more mindless snacking when I dont have fresh fruits and veggies readily available. When I start getting low, I go to the store again! I don't like shopping as often as I have to, but if it works I will continue to do it!!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips!! Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteI've got to get this book. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! One of the things that has really changed with the new me is that each time I am able to overcome a weekend like the one you described is to actually get back on track. It's such a personal sense of accomplishment to say, "Hey, yah, I had a bad meal/day/weekend, but I know that I WILl get back on track."
ReplyDeleteEach time I do this, it proves to ME that I am in control of this. I have bad moments, too! But knowing that "I've got this!" is an amazing feeling :)
Boy - I can relate after last weekend!! I fight like crazy to not go completely hog wild and the "iwillstartoveronmonday'itis"!
ReplyDeleteLog it - then move on!
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Check it - Aristotle is a smart dude!
This post is what I needed today, I slipped up last night. But I mentioned you and this post in my blog today. So I just want to thank you!
ReplyDeleteI had a terribly off track weekend and while the scale can be depressing, i try to force myself to use it as motivation to get back on track.
ReplyDeleteMeal planning is definitely a must in our household. Without it, we stray towards fast food, etc.
ReplyDeleteHope you're having a wonderful day!
-Sheree
The Hartungs Blog
thehartungs.blogspot.ca
The best motivation I found was on pinterest and it said "Remember why you started." Glad you are back on par today and excited to hear about your trainer session!
ReplyDeleteThis was great! I needed to read this today! Thanks for the encouragement & inspiration! It's true...it's great to have the support of the blogging community & the knowledge that we aren't alone in the journey to be healthy! Great stuff as always, friend :)
ReplyDeleteVery good tips! I need to clean house again!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! Personally I drink a lot of water to flush out the bad and make myself feel full, sneak in an extra workout if possible and then hop back on that wagon. Slip ups are going to happen thats why its a journey!
ReplyDeleteI like this post! I have fallen off the wagon many times and it's kinda of frustrating but I just get up and get back into the plan.
ReplyDelete-Honeybee
http://herweightlossdiary.blogspot.com