Skip to main content

RECOVERING FROM A BAD DAY (or Weekend)

So, this weekend was a bad weekend for me on my health and wellness journey.

I let stress get the better of me and I went on a two and a half day eating binge. Some of my food choices were the problem: cookie dough, candy bars, potato chips, ice cream, rice crispy treats. Some of the problem was the AMOUNT of food I ate: a HEAPING plate of jambalaya, another huge plate of chicken and broccoli stir-fry, fast food chicken sandwich and French fries, fast food burritos, and another huge container of Chinese takeout.

I really don’t know what came over me.

I was stressed out and I let a single slip up with cookie dough on Friday night avalanche into a weekend of eating EVERYTHING that crossed my path.

BUT….

I’m not letting it get me down.

Before I started this journey, I would have completely given up on the idea of healthy eating after having a weekend like that. I would have beaten myself up and asked what was the point of even trying when I had messed up so badly. I would have thought the “damage” done in a single weekend was “irreversible”.

But a couple of the things I’m learning about on this wellness journey are SELF-
COMPASSION, and ditching the ALL-OR-NOTHING approach.

First, Self-Compassion. Such a simple concept that I’m learning to embrace. If my best friend came to me and told me how badly they had messed up their healthy eating efforts, what would I say to them?

And I told myself the exact same thing I would have told them: one weekend of bad eating doesn’t erase the progress you’ve made; it doesn’t wreck your entire health and wellness journey, it only sidetracked it for a moment; and today is a new day with new opportunities to make better choices.

Which leads me into the second concept I’m working on, and that is losing the All-or-Nothing attitude. For years, I’ve lived under the very bad impression that in order to lose weight, get healthy, eat better, exercise more, etc., it had to be ALL IN or it wouldn’t work. If I wasn’t going to go for it, I might as well not even bother.

Now, the approach is more relaxed. “Okay, I messed up and overate on lots of junk food all weekend long. Today, I’m going to make a healthy choice and eat grilled chicken and veggies for lunch. And then I’m going to make another healthy choice and pick soup and a salad for dinner.” Making the BETTER choice today will lead to making better choices tomorrow and the next day and the next.

And when I make an unhealthy choice down the road – and I promise it WILL happen – I’m going to show myself a little compassion, I’m going to ignore my tendency to take the All-or-Nothing approach, and I’m going to pick right back up where I left off and work on making the BETTER choice most of the time.

Until next time….

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What To Do When They Just Don’t “Get It”

I’ve blogged about this before , but I feel like it needs another moment in the spotlight. If you’re a busy mom and you try something new or different – a new haircut, a different shade of lipstick, wanting a new career, or starting a health/weight loss journey – you may not have the support you THINK you will. It might be a co-worker, your spouse, your children, a sibling, or a friend who makes a comment. “Why did you order the salad? Are you trying to lose weight, or something?” “What did you do to your hair?” “I don’t like that color on you. You should change it back.” “What do you mean, you want to try photography? You already have a full-time job. How are you going to do both?” Most of the time, these comments aren’t meant to be hurtful. They’re coming from a place of confusion because not everyone understands you’re looking for something deeper, more meaningful, or you’re simply not happy with the status quo. Sometimes the people in our lives, especially those close...
Post a Comment
Read more

THE BREAKDOWN DAY - (warning, kinda personal)

We all have them. We’re busy moms, holding life together by a thread. You’ve had a series of THINGS happen. And by the way, it’s a BIG misconception, that it just came out of nowhere. No, it didn’t. This meltdown has been building up over time, like lava beneath the earth’s surface. The “things” can be big or small, it really doesn’t matter. It’s just a bunch of issues over time that build and build. You may have had moments where you thought you had dealt with them. But in reality, you were probably just dealing with PIECES of the issue, and the rest was getting shoved aside to be handled another time. Only, you’re a BUSY MOM! “Another Time” rarely comes. You’re pushing ahead through the next thing and the next. I’m just going to use my example really quickly because I know EVERYONE’S situation is different. Perimenopause is causing a plethora of physical issues including night sweats, fatigue, sleep disruption, mood swings, weight gain, and others. Big Issue . Crazy sc...
Post a Comment
Read more

Here’s Why I Don’t Like Meal Plans: A (Tiny) Rant

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a HUGE fan of Meal PLANNING .  But there is a difference between Meal Planning and FOLLOWING a Meal Plan.  Also, full disclosure, I actually HAVE a sample meal plan that I created . And the entire time I was making the meal plan part, I felt awkward for all the reasons I’m writing about in this blog post. The first drawback (for me) with a Meal Plan is people thinking it must be followed TO THE LETTER . Like, there’s no wiggle room for personal preferences. If you don’t like broccoli, but the recipes in the plan call for a steamed broccoli side dish or adding broccoli to a casserole then you’re just stuck eating broccoli. Now, realistically, we all know that’s not true. Just switch out the broccoli for another veggie you like, and you’re done. But in reality, people who are following a meal plan want that plan to be tailored specifically to their tastes (and those of their family), and when they aren’t, when there are substitutions that need...
Post a Comment
Read more