5 ways to Get Back on Track After a Binge

Hi Everyone!

As you may remember from this post, one of my New Year's Resolutions was to finish all 3 P90X programs by year end.  For the month of January I was doing really well with my workouts and noticed a big difference in my strength and endurance.  My nutrition was probably 85% on point, and most of my clothes were starting to fit a lot looser.

During the last weekend of January I started to cheat a little more with my meals.  The next week I cheated a little more, but still stuck to my workouts.  Then last week I missed 4 workouts and my eating was way off track.  I added up my calories for one of those days and it was around 4,000...yikes!!

Needless to say I got way off track, but am recommitting This week. I decided to start over with P90X and track my calorie intake and I am feeling much better about where I am on this journey. I'm getting my eating habits back on track in the meantime and am starting next Friday. I realize that this may happen to some of you as well, so I wanted to provide some helpful tips to get back on track after you've "fallen off the wagon".

 1) Don't Give Up:

Just because you fell off track does not mean you are a failure, so don't beat yourself up about it.  If anything feel proud about the fact that you identified the steps you are taking in the wrong direction and that you want to change it!  That means that you are already much further along than people who refuse to make changes, and accept these habits as a way of life.  Keep moving forward and don't look back!

2) Re-Visit Your Why's:

Think about why you wanted to make these changes in the first place.  Was it to fit into an old pair of jeans, feel more confident, get more healthy?  Whatever it may be, this will help motivate you again.  I always take a look at my before picture and that does it every time. 

3) Identify your Triggers:

Take some time to reflect and figure out why you were tempted to make unhealthier choices.  Was it a change in environment?  Too many potlucks at work?  Someone who is a bad influence?  For me it was lack of sleep and not being prepared with my meals for the next day.  Once you can pinpoint where you went wrong, it's easier to set yourself up for success in the future. 

4) Make a Plan:

"If you fail to plan then plan to fail." Once you know where you went wrong make a plan and stick to it.  If your trigger was driving past Krispy Kreme on your way to work, then plan to take a different route tomorrow. In my case I need to plan out my meals the day before, especially if I know that I am not getting enough sleep.  Grab an accountability partner, tell them your plan, and ask them to help you stick to it. 

5) Clear Out the Junk:

If you're anything like me during a binge, you start to sneak things in to your shopping cart that shouldn't be there.  You know, a bag of chips or a box of cookies here and there.  Go to your kitchen now and throw that stuff away! It's too hard to be tempted by it, especially after being in a more vulnerable state where your willpower is not as high. 

Hopefully these tips were helpful! I'll be posting an update of my progress every Friday as part of my own accountability plan, so stay tuned. 

What do you do to get back on track?

Thanks for stopping by!