The holiday season seems to be a hard time of year for sticking to a diet, whether it’s the stress of the holidays – or the mindset of “treating yourself”. I discussed that in my last post, about how ridiculous it is to treat yourself to feeling bloated and sick or disappointed in yourself. Yet we do it anyway. WHY? 😐
It’s hard to believe I gained back 15 pounds in less than 90 days. It’s not like I was binging, or NOT eating low carb a good part of that time. I just find that post-40 AND post-hysterectomy I really have to eat super healthy (consistently!) to even maintain my weight – much less to continue losing weight.
The thing is, it’s not just about my weight. Eating low carb makes me feel better. Carbs promote inflammation in the body, so if you have any type of inflammatory issue like arthritis or fibromyalgia then you’re just back in pain. Or if you have health issues like high blood pressure or diabetes, you’re putting your health at serious risk by not eating healthy. Not to mention being overweight or eating unhealthy/processed foods is just plain bad for you.
I have inflammatory arthritis in my lower back from an accident when I was 20. My doctor wanted to diagnose me with fibromyalgia due to all the muscle and nerve pain, but I’m quite sure the sciatica and other issues are due to the inflammation in my lower back. The thing is, when I discovered the low carb diet a few years ago… I did it initially just to lose weight. And I did. What I didn’t expect was to instantly be OUT OF PAIN for the first time in years! That was a nice benefit. 😀 Many of the members in my low carb challenge group have experienced the same, and some have come off medications they thought they’d have to take the rest of their lives. And that’s on top of losing weight and feeling GREAT! So again – why would we EVER get off track??
How To Get Your Diet Back On Track
1. Stop beating yourself up. Forgive yourself. Accept where you are, and look forward to where you’d rather be. Decide right now that from this moment forward you want to take care of yourself, and commit to becoming the happiest healthiest version of yourself! Imagine what that looks like. Imagine what YOU look like. Get that image clear in your mind, and do whatever it takes to BECOME that image!
Instead of being sad, discouraged, disappointed in yourself, etc… get EXCITED about your goal! 😀
2. Keep it simple to start. I find this really helps me get back on track with my healthy diet. There are certain staples and favorites that are easy to make or keep on hand, so I start there. I like boiled eggs, almonds, colby/jack cheese, pecans, cottage cheese, etc. All things I can grab easily anytime I’m hungry or want to snack. I’m not a big cook, so I know making a huge grocery list or trying to make new recipes is going to make me hesitate a bit. Don’t over-complicate it. Start back with your “staples” – your favorite go-to foods.
3. Be conscious of what you’re eating, and why. Every single time you decide to eat ask yourself if this takes you closer to your goal, or away from it. If you’re tempted to “cheat” ask yourself, do I want this MORE than I want to be healthy / happy / thin?
4. Get rid of your excuses. “I can’t” is total bullsh*t. You CAN. Anyone can. It’s a choice. That’s the only difference between the person you are, and the person you wish you were – choices. Take personal responsibility for every single choice you make. Retrain your brain and retrain your mouth – stop telling yourself you can’t, or it doesn’t matter, or however you rationalize being overweight / unhealthy / unhappy.
You don’t deserve a cupcake. You DESERVE to be healthy, happy and amazingly beautiful!
5. Find something to look forward to – or create something in the near future. It might be a reunion, a hot date, a party, a vacation, etc. It needs to be within the year, and it needs a date attached to it, meaning: a very real deadline. Vow to strut yourself into that event looking awesome and feeling confident! Decide that you want to turn heads, surprise people, and feel like a million bucks. 😉
“If you fall off the wagon, cut your losses, don’t worry about it, and get right back on track. Immediately. It’s minor damage that can be dealt with.” -Craig Ballantyne
6. Are you an emotional eater? I am. When things get totally out of control, I tend to “let go” and often turn to comfort foods. This is an old habit, and a BAD one – that makes absolutely no sense. I’ve been through a particularly challenging time lately, and I woke up the other day and realized something. If life is going to continue to be so challenging… I can at least not be miserable about my weight TOO. It’s one thing we CAN control. And you know what? Being in control makes everything easier to handle!
Yes, life happens. It’s not going to stop either, so if you use that as your excuse to get off track… then you’re just going to add to your problems. There are so many things outside your control like the behavior of other people, loss of loved ones, injury, lost jobs, house fires, car trouble, you name it. But your weight and your health are not. It’s the ONE thing you can CONQUER.
If you’re going to have to deal with life’s issues anyway (and you are!), wouldn’t you rather be in good health and have the energy to deal with it? Of course! Not to mention when you’re in control of yourself, you have a sense of accomplishment and self-confidence that makes handling “problems” SO much easier than when you’re down & out and feeling miserable anyway. That just makes me want to crawl in a hole and pull the hole in behind me. 😛 So here it is:
Get yourself back on track and stay there. Be your most amazing self.
It will make tackling anything life throws your way SO much easier!
If you’re feeling miserable about yourself right now, you’re not alone. The day I decided to get back on track, I instantly felt 100x better – instantly, I tell you! It was like a magic transformation. I took back control. I felt empowered, and I felt pleased with myself – instead of mad at myself. I’m standing up straighter, smiling more, and excited about what’s ahead of me instead of sulking about where I am.
Don’t you want to feel that way too?? It’s easy. You make a choice. You decide that TODAY is going to be the day you stop making yourself sad, sick, fat, unhappy, etc. Not tomorrow. Right now. From this point forward, every single thing you put in your mouth should be to FEED that beautiful person you WANT to become. Period.
Best,
Lynn Terry, aka LowCarbTraveler
Leave a Reply