How to Fight the Top 5 Excuses For Sabotaging Your Diet
We all have our little gremlins when it comes to health and diet. However, it turns out that many of us share the same excuses. If any of the following sound familiar, it’s okay. You’re not alone. Here are some suggestions to help you fight those excuses and take control of your health and diet.
Excuse #1 – I worked out today.
How many times have you justified the cheesecake, or the pizza, or the third glass of wine because – hey, you ran for twenty minutes this morning? Surely that’s not just me! While it’s wonderful to exercise, it is not a free ticket to eat whatever you want. It’s sort of like eating the whole box of fat free cookies. One virtue can cancel out the other if you’re not careful.
Fight this one by giving yourself a non-food reward. Or retrain yourself to enjoy a healthy food reward. One of my favorites is Fresca with cranberry juice. Almost as good as a glass of wine!
Excuse #2 – I’m too busy.
Yeah, aren’t we all? The funny thing is we’re not too busy to do all those things we HAVE TO do – you know, all those things that are making you too busy? The bottom line is that you have to start making time for healthy eating.
Fight this one by starting small. Commit only to breakfast. Then make time time to get your booty to the grocery store and stock up on granola bars, instant oatmeal, protein drinks – anything you can grad on your way out the door on your way to all that busy-ness. Once this is a habit (after about a month – no one said it was going to be fast!) then work on another meal.
Excuse #3 – It’s a special occasion.
If you eat out for work a lot, this can be a tough one. Growing up, most of us viewed eating out as a special treat. Then you’re a grown-up with professional and social engagements that put you in close proximity to blue cheese and chocolate souffle more than you ever dreamed.
Fight this one with honesty and moderation. Take a look at your lifestyle. Is it really a special occasion or are you just using that as an excuse to overindulge? Maybe you do celebrate a lot of special occasions, but do you have to celebrate with cheese and fried things and dessert each time? Pick one splurge and keep the rest of the meal healthy.
Excuse #4 – I don’t feel good.
Food as comfort, ah yes! Who doesn’t want to curl up with a big bowl of creamy pasta at the end of a rough day? Me too! The problem is that when we do so without thinking, we can end up feeling worse than when we started.
Fight this one by noticing what you’re doing. Okay, so maybe you do need to carbo load tonight. No biggie. But notice it. Acknowledge that you’re using food as a sort of medication to your blues. Taking the time to put it on a plate instead of eating it straight from the take-out box can go a long way toward managing your indulgence.
Excuse #5 – I’m going on a diet.
There’s always that last splurge before you go on a diet isn’t there? Fortunately this one’s easy to avoid….
Fight this one by NEVER DIETING!!! Until you hop on this bandwagon I’m convinced you’re doomed to fail. Small changes, slow changes – these are the ones that last, that make us feel good, and the ones that don’t deprive us. So vow right now to never ever go on a diet again. That way you’ll have to worry about this excuse again.