Don’t Just Do The Program – Live It!
Just when you think you have it all under control – a busy end of the week comes along and throws you right off your path. Don’t worry, you are not alone. This is such a busy time of year with camp, proms, graduations. There is celebration after celebration and you are trying to be so good but feel the weakness of the struggle. This is when you really need to be your strongest because if you give in there may be no return and that is simply not an option before summer begins. When you live the program, you learn that you can have maintain weeks when it’s busy. That doesn’t mean you treat every day like a Cheat Day or even have a Cheat meal. It means that maybe you had an extra on program snack or two? A little hungrier day and you had an extra mini meal or maybe your food wasn’t as clean as you would have liked but you did your best. We all have busy times and we have to allow for them and learn that the best way to get through them is to not just do the program but learn to live the program and be okay with maintain days when you need them. Sometimes just being okay with it and giving yourself permission is all you really need to stay on program.
1. LIVE THE PROGRAM: Don’t get into the habit of going off and on program, you will end up with more Cheat Days then clean days. In order to live the program there are no “do overs” or “starting fresh” it’s just a continuation of your life. You had an unexpected Cheat Day? Then that becomes your Cheat Day, you don’t just start again. If you eat extra in a day but still keep to on program foods then you call it a Maintain Day. When you get to a great number you don’t just start going back to your old habits, you continue on with the program. Six days clean and one day to indulge should be your way of life.
2. PLAN PLAN PLAN: I can’t say it enough but if you plan your days before you start them you have a 99% chance of sticking to them. Don’t go through the day just not eating or trying to wing it – because once you start eating you won’t stop. If you feel that you can get through the day okay but your nights are sabotaging you? Then save your snacks for night time when you need them. Remember to plan what you are doing when you get home. If you know that you come home and raid the pantry then plan a different routine when you get home. Come home and go for a walk, jump in the pool or take a shower! It may sound silly but once you break your habit that sabotages you, that is all it takes to have better results. Do anything other than your usual walk in the door head and for the pantry.