How to get back on track

 Have you taken a slight detour away from your health goals and stayed off track longer than expected? If so, you are not alone!

Improving your eating habits is often easier said than done, and this can make it challenging to stay on track.

So I wanted to give you a few quick tips on how to get back on track with your eating habits.

Why is it that we take a detour from our healthy eating habits?

Unfortunately, in the nutrition world, many reasons lie in over-simplifications. For example, “Don’t eat carbs,” “cake is bad for you,” and “fruit is unhealthy” are some of the quick and simple comments I hear often. You will listen to many of these simplifications worldwide, and most of them are about restricting or taking away certain foods and food groups.

Nutrition advice that is “easier said than done” often hurts more people than it helps. And as humans, we are creatures of habit, and we are drawn to anything that retreats from us. Therefore, it is essential to be patient with ourselves and give ourselves sufficient time to change our habits. You won’t go from zero to 100 in one night, which is ok! The truth is, we don’t need to be restricting more and more to achieve results. We need to look at what habits we can improve on or that we can ADD to our life that will produce results.

Tip #1: Keep it Simple!

With all of the over-simplifications that you will hear, it can start to feel like there are too many rules to follow. It can be tempting sometimes to plan a complete makeover on your diet, but going from zero to 100 in one day is VERY hard to maintain. So my best advice to you, if you are looking to make changes to your eating habits, is to start small and simple!

If you want to see long-term changes, keep it simple and understand that change can go slowly. Small changes help you build the reality you wish to see in your life! As you crush each habit, you will also gain confidence in yourself as you go.

Tip #2: Develop Awareness Around Your Current Eating Habits

Another aspect of getting back on track with your eating habits is to develop an awareness of your current eating habits. This is step #1 in my nutrition program. It is much harder to create change in our lives if we do not know what our baseline looks like AND if we do not understand why we eat how we eat. So to see change in your eating habits, you much create awareness around them.

So how do you develop awareness? First, take time to determine what habits are not as healthy as others and what you can change. Second, track these habits and your changes.

What gets tracked gets results!

So if you want to start seeing results from the change you are making, start tracking your habits! This also creates a second layer of accountability that will help you get back on track!

Tip #3: Have Accountability in You and Your Eating Habits!

It can be very challenging to make changes to better yourself. We get stuck in our ways. And it is challenging because regardless of what good change you make in your life, change is HARD! What is even more difficult is making these changes alone.

Often people need someone to listen, learn, discover, be objective, and work with them to CRUSH their nutrition goals. Having extra accountability can go a long way! Extra accountability could be as easy as checking in with a friend each week or hiring a reputable coach who can help you develop the critical areas to achieve your goals!

Find someone you trust that can hold you accountable for your goals. Changing your habits can be hard, so don’t make it harder by going at it alone! Find people who will give you an extra boost and reach out to them.

Bottom Line:

If you want to get back on track, you ultimately need to be patient with yourself. Focus on the simplest changes that will help you along the way as you go, observe how your body feels while making these changes, and ask a friend or hire a coach to hold you accountable.

If you are looking for a dietitian to help keep you accountable and build your plan, you’re in the right place! I am proud to be a dietitian, and I absolutely LOVE helping clients reach their ultimate goals! If you are ready to get started, click on this link to get started!

©Mindy Roth Nutrition