How to get back on track after a “cheat”?
First, I just have to say you didn’t “cheat” you made a choice. I think the word cheat just keeps you in a diet mindset - it's black or white, good or bad, and we need to get away from that. When you own the choice you take back control.
So, what do you do after you just polished off a donut (or 2 or 3…??) that wasn't on your plan?
This is one of the most common questions I get asked.
First, let’s talk about the things not to do.
You ate a doughnut (or insert your favorite treat) don’t add more drama to it than that.
Saying things to yourself like:
“Argh!!! I can never stick to anything”
“Why am I always so weak…?”
“See I’m never gonna lose weight - this is what always happens…”
You ate a donut - that is a fact. All the other stuff you make it mean is the drama.
It’s those thoughts that make the “cheat” bigger than it is. Then you spin out on that and it can become a self fulfilling prophecy.
The problem here isn’t the donut, it's all the shit running through your head after you eat it that is!
You also don’t need to fast for 3 days or spend hours on the treadmill to “punish” yourself. That doesn’t change anything and will just make you feel worse which can send you right back to the donuts!
Ok so let's get to what you can do…
The first thing to do is pay attention to how you feel physically, mentally, and emotionally. Not from a judgmental place but as an observer this can help you make more of an informed choice the next time.
If you felt bloated, or had brain fog or had to deal with a blood sugar crash afterwards - remember what that feels like - again not as punishment, but so that next time you’re faced with a box of donuts you can decide whether or not you’ll have one based on how you want to feel the rest of the day.
Also, expect that you will have more cravings for a few days. You woke the sugar dragon and it can take a few days to get him back to sleep. Know that that’s likely to happen and know what you’ll do if it does.
Some may find it better to just push through it and know the feeling is temporary; it will go away if you don’t continue to feed it.
Or you might fight sweet cravings with savory foods instead to break that feedback loop in your brain.
If you journal, this can be an excellent time to lean into that and write down what you’re feeling and how you’re dealing with it.
Know that all that it takes to get right back on track - is making your next best choice. You didn’t ruin anything and you don’t need to start over - you just need to keep going!
Be kind to yourself. So basically do the opposite of what you usually in these situations ;-P Focus on taking care of yourself. Be well-hydrated, get enough good quality sleep, and feed yourself well etc.