I Blew It (again)! Now What?

Do you ever feel like, I want to eat the right foods, I want to eat healthy, but, gosh-darn-it, it's SO HARD, or I JUST LOVE TO EAT, or OOPS I BLEW IT AGAIN?!!  Well, if so, you are not alone.  We are designed to eat anything in sight.  It's the natural order of things.  I see food.  I want it.  I eat it.  Plain and simple.  The trick is, once you've already succumbed to that CHOCOLATE TEMPTATION,  or taken more than enough MOUTHFULS OF PASTA, what do you do? 

1.  Just start with your next meal.  I mean, why beat  yourself up over the PAST?  Just recommit to eating healthy your next meal!!  Really, what else can you do?

2.  Sure, go ahead and exercise!!  Even a moderate walk 30 minutes a day is beneficial.  So, yeah, get up, go for a walk, take a ZUMBA class, or whatever other form of exercise floats your boat!!  I LOVE  the happy-high feeling I get from all the endorphins and serotonin floating around in my brain after exercise!!  I also love MAKING FRIENDS with the other participants in any group exercise class (usually offered at many gyms).

3.  There's actually A LOT you can do to prevent over-eating, or mis-eating (again) in the future.  Another thing you could do is TO MAKE A PLAN.  What this looks like for you, or for me, might be different based on a variety of factors.  But, nevertheless, make some kind of MENU plan ahead of time might be a helpful strategy for some people.  For example, let's say chicken, rice and beans is on the menu for your family.  You could eat the chicken and beans and omit (or go easy on) the rice!!  And, add a fruit and salad to this meal, and you will feel full and satisfied for hours!!  Not to mention all the nutritional benefit you will gain from this meal: fiber, protein, phytonutrients.

4.  Let's say you are a working person.  Take healthy snacks with you to work so that you never again (or less often, at least) have a "food emergency" again!!  You know, when you eat ANYTHING in sight, simply because it's there, even when you know you shouldn't or that it's not good for you?!  On the last week of work, one of my co-workers brought in an entire dozen of donuts to share with us!  I contributed to the delinquency too by bringing in a huge bag of potato chips (gasp)!!  And, we each had at least 2, if not 3, donuts a piece!  We stuffed ourselves, and felt the all more miserable for it afterwards!!  I promised myself that my next meal would be a salad!!  Which I did.  But, PLAN! PLAN! PLAN! 

5.  What are some healthy alternatives for snacking at the office?  I'm going to try to have fresh veggies cut up and bring.  We have refrigerator we can use; or I also have small purse size cooler bag to put in.  Canned tuna; salmon or chicken.  Healthy nuts, trail mix.  Having healthy snacks ON HAND and EASILY ACCESSIBLE for eating will make life a whole lot easier, for our waistlines and our optimal health.

So, next time you "blow it", and you don't eat as well as you had hoped, or wanted, know that you are not alone!!  Better yet, don't drink your guilt and sorrow away with alcohol or your favorite sugar-laden iced coffee drink (one of my biggest challenges especially during the hot summer).  We can simply start eating right again starting with our next meal.  And, we can plan ahead for both our main meals and our little snacks throughout the day.  It might  not seem easy (at first), but with each tiny baby step in the healthy direction, we can get to where we want and need to be!!

Love you!