Falling Off the Wagon
I woke up Sunday morning with a few takeaway boxes sprawled on the bedroom floor and mysterious ketchup stains on my face. Now, there are a few reasons- I’ve come to understand- for how this could be explained:
1: My partner- as he does- ordered Uber Eats while I was out celebrating with friends at the CrossFit Christmas party in town;
2: Someone snuck into my house with their takeaways, tripped and spilt their ketchup on me while I was sleeping;
Or, the unlikely;
3: I drunkenly stopped at a chippie on the way home from a night out.
Now, my best guess would have been the first option- my partner ordering uber eats. If you’ve followed my weekly blogs, you would know this is quite standard behaviour. But a strange selfie on my phone with some stranger with a chicken face-mask in the queue of a chippie say otherwise. And yes, you read correctly- a chicken face-mask.
We've all been there, haven't we? Waking up the morning after and wondered where on earth the boxes of takeaways came from. Only to check your bank account balance and find out that it was quite possibly your own doing.
I’ve Fallen Off the Wagon… Now What?
A lot of the time when we try to lose weight or on a health and fitness journey, we don't allow any room for mistakes. We tell ourselves that it's all or nothing and that the only way forward is sticking to a strict regimented plan, with no leeway.
The problem with this is that we find that life requires balance, and this extends to our eating and exercise- we need to allow for mistakes or mess-ups. The ‘balance’ with health and fitness refers to allowing yourself those nights out; allowing yourself a few drinks on a Friday evening with friends; allowing yourself a takeaway once a week; allowing yourself a Sunday roast- and yes that includes the Yorkshire pudding!
Psychologically, when we allow these ‘missteps’ in our diet, and we include these in our plan, then it doesn’t signal a failure with your eating for the week. As it is accounted for, it has become an expectation and therefore you fulfil the requirements of your dieting plan. What you've done here is transform a 'negative' action, into a positive. Most of the time this allowance isn’t always taken advantage of, and that’s completely fine! But it is there for those occasions where we do end up going out and socialising, and when we take advantage of this there is no feeling of failure or guilt, or that you’ve ‘fallen off the wagon’.
It is when we don’t allow these nights out, treats, or cheat meals into our plan that things can get quite messy because when you base a plan around being completely strict and you don't allow for any balance or leeway, things can go belly-up quickly when things don’t go according to plan. It could (and has in the past) lead you to forfeit the whole diet plan and go back to your old unhealthy eating habits and lifestyle.
Remember, a cheat day every once in a while, will not erase all the hard work from weeks or months of consistent healthy eating and workouts.
What to Do if You’ve Fallen Off the Wagon
For those who have fallen off the wagon longer than expected and have found it hard to get back on:
- Accept that you have fallen off the wagon and decide to get back on
- Figure out why you fell off the wagon in the first place
- Find a support system - find people who will encourage you to stay on track
- Get rid of any food or drinks that may tempt you from staying on track
- Delete food delivery apps such as Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Just Eats etc.
- Stay away from social media, which can be an easy way for others to trigger your cravings
- Reward yourself with something non-food related when you reach your goals, such as taking a long bath or going for a walk outside
Moderation and balance is key. Allow yourself some leeway. Enjoy food! Enjoy life! Have that slice of pizza, enjoy that block of Toblerone or whatever tickles your fancy. In the end, it will help, not hurt, in the long run.
Remember- total deprivation of pleasure foods are a bad idea because you always tend to crave what you cannot have. That’s a binge waiting to happen! Discover your healthy balance and create a diet that is both sustainable and suitable for your personal body type.
Sunday morning after solving the mystery of the several chippie boxes on the bedroom floor (and a few more in the kitchen) I accepted that I had a great night out with friends; I accepted that I happily downed a few Gins and Tonics and shots; I accepted that I had a fun visit to the local chippie, and then I moved right on. I opened the fridge, grabbed a Prep Kitchen meal, chucked it in the microwave and jumped back on the bandwagon, excited to get back on it.
WEEK 8 Progress Picture
Starting Weight: 110.1kgs
Week 1: 107.6kgs (-2.5kgs)
Week 2: 104.5kgs (-3.1kgs)
Week 3: 103.1kgs (-1.4kgs)
Week 4: 101.1kgs (-2kgs)
Week 5: 99.8kgs (-1.3kgs)
Week 6: 98.8kgs (-1kg)
Week 7: 98.2kgs (-600g)
Week 8: 98.1kgs (-100g)
Total Loss to date: 12kgs
MEAL OF THE WEEK: KOREAN BEEF BOWL
Korean's know this dish as 'beef bulgogi', which translates as 'fire meat', which in itself is a perfect description of what you can expect from this dish. But Prep Kitchen has gone a step further, just to make you extra hungry!
Velveted beef strips, glazed in our house Gochujang sauce. Spicy, sweet, sticky and savoury all in one, giving you an umami hit like no other!
Served on steamed brown sushi rice alongside classic Korean veggies including edamame, spring onions, pickled cabbage and carrots.
Lower carb is served on our brand-new Broccoli & Poppy Seed rice which is steam-roasted to perfection – hitting all the marks for texture and flavour.
