Get Right Back on Your Diet

There are going to be days when you fail to follow the diet you want to. After years of following a diet, there are still days where I eat more than I should have, or don’t eat the way I wanted to. While it will become easier over time to follow a diet (assuming it’s a sustainable diet), you will likely have a day here and there where you miss the mark. Do not give up just because of a bad day on your diet - keep going.

Life is pretty short in the grand scheme of things. While living a healthy and long life is a goal for most people, that doesn’t mean that you can never have any fun and never take some time off from your diet or goals. Skipping a night out with your family or refusing to enjoy some time with those you call friends simply because you’re on a diet really doesn’t make sense - sure you don’t have to go every night, but once and awhile is totally fine.

Overeating, or eating unhealthy foods from time to time isn’t going to be the end of the world. If you’re doing it everyday, then you’re not going to meet your goals, and you probably need to find a more sustainable diet. However, if you’re slipping up once a week or so, you’re simply slowing down your overall progress, but there’s no reason to give up. Get back up the next day and keep at it.

The biggest mistake people make in both diet and life in general is that they give up too easily. A small failure here and there shouldn’t stop you. A big failure also shouldn’t stop you from refocusing on your goal and getting back to work on it. Those who are successful are those that continue to work at it. Don’t give up simply because you’re not perfect every single day - no one is regardless of what they say.

Losing weight (and maintaining weight) is a long term goal that you work at everyday. Just like you can’t get to your goal weight overnight, you also aren’t going to balloon up over night. Gaining extra weight happens over time as you eat too many calories every day over an extended period of time. If you’re simply failing on an irregular basis, then you’ll move slower towards your goal but you’re still moving.

Finding a sustainable diet for you is the key to minimizing your failures. If you’re hungry every single day, or always craving sweets, then it’s probably time to find a diet that actually works for you. A diet should not be a part time thing that you’re doing, but it should be a part of who you are and something that you actually like to do. That means you need to find foods that will make you feel full but not be loaded with calories.

Dieting with kids doesn’t have to be hard. While you may be eating a little bit less than you want to at times, you can still eat many of the foods that your kids eat. There’s no reason to make a special meal just for your kids because they won’t eat the food that you’re eating. If they choose not to eat, then let them skip the meal. They ultimately won’t starve themselves and will eat when they’re hungry.

You’re going to make mistakes on your diet. Rather than giving up, pick yourself up and begin working on it again. Becoming healthy is a long term journey and mistakes along the way - your success depends on how you respond.