Here’s What To Do When You Fall Off the Diet Wagon: 5 Simple Strategies

Did you hit January with a feeling of heaviness?  I did.  Rolling off the COVID-19 holiday season straight into the political fray was a bit overwhelming.  But some fun things happened too:  football playoffs—a bright spot--I love sports!  Lots of basketball to watch too.  And then a big, happy personal project popped up here in AZ.

But what happened then?  My insta and FB feeds went silent.  Running a small business takes a lot of time and energy; except I didn’t have it.  There was too much going on. 

My diet reflected all of this—snacking became a thing, meals felt like they were mostly “on the go” and sometimes I just subsided on caffeine until lunch.  Most days, not a green vegetable was to be found.

I found a meme online about falling off the diet wagon that best sums up my early January, have you seen it?

“ Not only did I fall off the diet wagon…I drug it into the woods, set it on fire, and used the insurance money to buy brownies”

I didn’t buy brownies, but I bought lots of other treats….

And I felt the effects…believe me.  I have digestive issues and when I don’t care for myself, I know it. 

My January diet didn’t reflect my beliefs as you might know by following this blog.  But I wanted to be honest with you.  We all have those times when all our good intentions just don’t work.  We all fall off the wagon sometimes…for reasons that are ours alone.  Happy stress, ugly stress, emotional stress.  It doesn’t matter. 

So what do we do to get back on the path to nutritional wellness—especially during the month that many of our friends are “celebrating” dry January or doing the latest detox? 

First: Patience.   And trust your instincts.

I kept believing that I was just going to automatically be back to my “normal” healthy self.  Except it wasn’t happening.  Wine and left-over holiday cookies looked great.  I was dehydrated from not drinking enough water (which I need more of when I’m hanging out in the desert).  I “forgot” to take the supplements that I know help me feel better.  I was too busy to pay attention to what my body was telling me—until it was too late.

What I learned over the last few days is that patience pays off.   That if I trust my instincts that I will eventually get back on track, I will. 

Second: Don’t compare yourself to others

While I didn’t do as much of that—I was too busy--it did bother me that my colleagues were kicking off detoxes/cleanses and other reboots during January.  It seemed that they were on the “right path” and I wasn’t.  But when I became clearer about my situation, I realized it was time for deep breathing and a mental reset of my own.  January is not the only month we can reset.  There are 12 months and 365 days for a reason!  So, wait for more to come in February from me—(hint, we are going to be talking about how to feel lighter, and perhaps a food-friendly detox is coming!)  And if you find yourself in a similar position—don’t beat yourself up.  Easier said than done, but please try it.

Third: Small wins make a difference

So not every day in January was great—but some were better than others.  If I had written in a food diary, I would have definitely noted a few days to build upon.  I did eat fish for dinner a few times.  Rice and spinach showed up more often than I would remember.  I did eat breakfast before 1p on a few days.  And I didn’t skip my supplements every day.  Furthermore, I’m writing this blog entry while sipping on a smoothie.  So there’s that. 

Four:  Tell a friend

When I told some friends via text that I was writing this blog entry on how we sometimes fall off the nutritional bandwagon—I got some expressive emojis back—especially when I asked if anyone could relate. 

It isn’t a “misery loves company” thing, but doesn’t knowing that someone else is going through something help spur you on to improving your own situation?  Or perhaps it’s just refreshing to go through a change with a friend.  It doesn’t seem like your personal “secret” that way. 

Maybe they have great advice.  Or perhaps they can just validate you.  Either way, don’t struggle alone.

Five:  Humor helps

I just finished a book about the Dalai Llama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu entitled “The Book of Joy”.  I highly recommend it, especially if you need a spiritual/emotional reset at the beginning of this crazy year.  The most profound thing I took from the book was the extent to which these two important religious figures weave humor into their daily lives and with each other.  During the week-long meetings, which is the basis for the book, they seemed to be continuously laughing. 

How often do we find ourselves taking on each of our issues with a serious, “have to fix this” demeanor?

Maybe it’s humor—laughing at ourselves and with each other—that is the emotional base by which we can look at a problem and begin to try to fix it.  Using humor ensures that we don’t take ourselves—or the problem—too seriously.

Reading the book reminded me that yes, my diet is a bit off.  But I can write this blog post, laugh at myself, and get back down to business.

Conclusion:  Be yourself. 

Well, this is not even close to the blog post I sat down to write.  But perhaps it’s the post that needed to be written.  Definitely for me.  Perhaps for you too.

Lots of Facebook and Instagram posts will offer you the “shoulds” around nutrition/eating/dieting.  Your head will spin if you read all of them. 

Just be you.  You have the power to change how you feel about your body and the way that you are eating is a direct reflection of that. 

Take a deep breath.  Enjoy what January has to offer you. 

Next time I’m going to write about getting rid of that heaviness—inflammation, as it’s called in the nutritional world—and how we start to feel lighter by employing our food choices to our benefit.  And perhaps there’s an emotional/spiritual component.  Because I know that I’m lighter already having written this. 

And as a result of this blog post, I’m researching detoxes/resets.  Who’s in?  Let me know if you’d like to me to offer a short (5 day) detox at barwellness@comcast.net. 

And if you want to talk it out your particular nutrition situation with someone, just reach out.  Send an email to barwellness@comcast.net.  I’m taking appointments for 1:1 consulting right now.  If you are interested in understanding how food can help you feel better, let’s chat. 

To Your Health!

Bev