When you suffer a diet setback, the emotional scars go deep. It can bruise your pride. But it can also damage your self-respect
So what are you able to do to ensure that you emerge from this hole? Everyone has diet setbacks. They’re an inevitable part of change. But your success will depend on how you react to them.
Maybe you’re starting a new diet. Or perhaps you’re picking yourself up after a rocky start to your new year’s resolution. It doesn’t matter where you’ve been. It just matters what step you take next. So today we’re gonna talk about the essential steps to move past diet slip-ups.
Leave the past in the past
It’s tempting to cling onto the past. This might surprise you, but expecting yourself to fail can seem safe. You tell yourself, you’ve failed before so you know you’ll fail again. And when you hit a diet slip-up, you’re less likely to be disappointed.
When you’re stuck in the past, it inhibits your ability to go forward. ‘You’ve dieted in the past without reaching your goal. But none of that matters now.
You’ll set yourself up for failure if you identify every bump in the road as an end. Bumps are expected. You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t experience diet slip-ups. So stop reciting this outdated story to yourself of failure.
Lovingly let go of anxiety
Anxiety comes from mental states based on the need for survival. These primitive fight or flight responses are triggered instantaneously by stress. And in modern day society, they’re triggered by stress that isn’t life threatening. But your body reacts as if it is.
You need to be proactive about self-care when confronted with diet stress. Otherwise the stress can activate your fight or flight response. And you’re likely to abandon ship.
So discover what you find soothing. Maybe keep a notebook of inspirational quotes. Tape words of encouragement to your walls. Write a supportive letter to yourself. Do things to calm yourself when you slip-up. And you’ll be able to put things in perspective.
Be proud of the big picture
You’re not just losing pounds. Your transforming your health. A healthy diet will make your skin more vibrant. It will mean less aches and pains. And you’ll likely have more energy, better sleep, and overall improved well being. You can’t destroy this from one or two bad days.
So embrace the big picture of your general health. This will help you see the enormity of what you’ve already achieved. You’re not your clothes size. And your beauty and value is deeper than size 2 jeans.
Recognize how you’ve already transformed in more ways than pounds. And put the weight loss in perspective. It’s just a piece of the puzzle of your transformation into the best version of you.
Discover the beauty of the present moment
Was yesterday a bad day for your diet? No problem. Because you’re on to the next day. And in the present, you have every opportunity to find greatness.
I sustained an injury last year. My diet and fitness plan felt completely derailed. I could barely move for a few months. And I’ll admit, I felt frustrated. But I had to let go of the anger and create a new plan.
I could have spent hours dreaming of finding an injury lawyer to vindicate my pain. But that would have hurt me before it hurt anyone else. I had to accept the beauty of my new situation. And in the present, I had the opportunity to get creative in reaching my goals.
And in the end, I didn’t gain weight. Or fall into horrible shape. A new path doesn’t mean an end.
Diet slip-ups happen and the best made plans get ruined. This happens to everyone. You’re not a failure. You haven’t ruined everything. So just take a deep breath. And keep moving forward. Because success is waiting for you. But you can’t get there if you don’t keep moving,
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