You know what’s easy? Letting the spiral of negative thoughts get out of control until you react emotionally and allow yourself to get off track. You know what’s hard? Doing the stuff I’m telling you to do to stop it before you disappoint yourself. You know what’s the absolute hardest? Not beating yourself up if and when slip ups happen – because they will, because that’s life. But you know what’s the best feeling in the world? When you figure out how to be intentional, to enjoy wine when you want it, not because you’re feeling emotional, but because you love it and you can be in control of your actions. When you can enjoy a dessert that you actually want to enjoy, and then move on without guilt or the desire to eat everything in sight “because you messed up anyways”. THAT’S what to strive for. That’s why we’re doing this – it’s not about being perfect. It’s not about never “cheating”. It’s about learning balance, and self love, and how to control your emotions instead of letting them control you.
So you’re in a good groove, your routine through the week is going great and you’re feeling good and like you can actually tackle this thing. Then..the dreaded weekend hits. Birthday parties, everyone is home, the kids have 24 sporting events, there are weddings, friends in town, the excuses are ENDLESS. Routine is out the window completely. It sparks the spiral. The spiral of negative thoughts – I can’t do this, this isn’t realistic with my life, I have way too much going on, why did I even think I could do this, I have no self-control, I’m so weak, look how bad I let myself get, it sucks that I have to follow a meal plan and that I can’t drink or eat whatever I want. Enter wine. Enter birthday cake. Enter excuses to not workout. It all goes out the window.
Ok ok, so maybe it’s not this extreme – but maybe it is? I know for me, it was. I might go 2 weeks getting into a new program, and the second an event came up – I would give up on everything. It would take longer and longer to get motivated to start over again, and it was exhausting. The biggest thing I’ve learned in all of this is how important it is to learn balance and consistency. Learn how to control the spiral, how to identify it, stop it in it’s tracks and then do something about it so it doesn’t throw you off (at least not for too long).
You know how hard it is to decide today that you’re going to give up a habit, and then actually follow through and never do it again? Near impossible. Moods will come and go, motivation will come and go, things will happen in your life that suck and are really hard to get through – but you have to learn how to keep certain things consistent. This isn’t about weight loss either, this is about your mental state. You will absolutely be able to handle the bad stuff, if you can keep your mind sane amidst the chaos. Easier said than done, I know – but here are some ways that I get through the weekends or tempting situations.
Non-negotiables (and they only take 30 minutes to do TOTAL, so stop telling me you don’t have time):
- Workout (at least 20 mins) – calm the anxiety around what’s happening that day, get it done early, and be done with it so you can feel good and get that endorphin release
- Gratitude Journal (5 mins) – set intentions for the day, decide how the day is going to go and be proactive instead of letting the day happen to you and being reactive
- Drink the magic shake and time it wisely – if there’s a birthday party or I’m going somewhere that I know will have something tempting that I’ll regret giving into later? My shake is a non-negotiable on the way there so I won’t be hungry and it will be easier to have 1 bite and be done, or resist altogether depending on how I’m feeling that day
I don’t know about you but the second I start a downward spiral of negative thoughts, my first thought is WINE. STAT. Usually I’m hangry or tired – those are my two most common triggers for the downward spiral. So instead of eating or drinking something that will make you feel gross and fuel the spiral even more, here are some things you can do:
- Prevent the Hangry – always take a meal or snack that fits into your plan with you when you leave the house. Even if you only plan to leave for 30 minutes, take something anyways because you never know what might keep you out longer
- When you’re home in between events, have meals planned and stay on track when you can be in control. One bad meal in a day shouldn’t equate to an entire day of bad meals.
- Always carry your water bottle with you and sip it throughout the day
- If the hangry has already happened, force a healthy meal. I promise, your thoughts will start to clear a little bit – at least enough for you to see that any “cheating” you would have done would have been purely out of emotional reaction.
- Search Pinterest for motivating quotes and scroll through them for a while to help adjust your mindset until you feel like a badass again
- Reach out to your coach or an accountability group/buddy and let them help talk you off the ledge
What are some things you do to stay on track on the weekends?
Irene Markulik 