There is one thing I want you to feel comfortable with when starting off on your diet. It’s okay to fail. Normally, failing is not something that is encouraged, but for this, I feel it is. Dieting isn’t the easiest thing in the world to change.
You’ve spent a number of years eating whatever you want, in whatever portions you liked. It’s going to take some time to undo all the unhealthy patterns you’ve built up over the years. This is why it’s okay to fail.
You have a slice of pizza…a cheat day that turns into a cheat week — It’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up over those choices. When you allow yourself to fail. You allow yourself the ability to make the right choices AFTER you fail to get you back on track.
And this is an important point: When you feel guilty or mad at yourself for cheating on your diet, it creates negative emotions—which often lead to other unhealthy habits, or overdoing with foods. When this happens, you may say “why bother,” and completely abandon your plan—and waste all the great progress you’ve made.
But:
If you allow yourself some slack and stick with your plan 80 to 90% of the time, then, I can promise, you will be successful.
Am I giving you permission to go overboard? Absolutely not. I am telling you that if you do fail, or you eat something you shouldn’t, or you’re just “living life” — It’s okay to slip up every so often. The most important thing is what you do AFTER you make the mistake? Pick yourself up, brush yourself off and start fresh the next meal or the next day.
Do something positive that changes your emotion. Get in an extra workout, get right back to a healthy meal, call your coach for some accountability and assistance in getting back on track. Then let it go and move on. Changing your diet is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. So next time you do fail, instead of letting it ruin your momentum…learn from it, and always keep moving forward.
It’s perfectly fine to fail just make it better next time (and don’t stress).