10 Ways To Get Back on Track After Falling off the Food Rails

It may have only been a few weeks ago that you were at the top of your game. You were making healthy food choices, drinking lots of water, getting the right amount of rest and exercise, and enjoying the energy burst that came along with those things. Now, however, you have found yourself back to some negative habits, perhaps after a moment of weakness. Thankfully, there are some ways to get yourself back on track after falling off the food rails.

When it comes to getting yourself back into the swing of a healthy lifestyle, it is important that you take part in a few different practices. These things can help you to get back to making those positive choices, much faster. After all, no matter what reason you had for falling off the rails, you aren’t going to want to remain off track for long.

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Get Back on Track After a Binge

Listen to the podcast episode from The Realistic Nutrition Podcast and learn more about the Food Freedom Your Way program here.

Don’t forget, if you’re looking to establish healthy habits (like adding more vegetables to your diet in fun and tasty ways) be sure to secure a spot in the 21 Days to a Healthy Habits Challenge.

Getting back on track doesn’t have to be complicated, but you want to catch yourself as soon as you can. This is because the longer you remain off track, the more you will undo any progress you had made while making better choices.

Deep breath. I got you.

Drink Lots of Water

Getting back on track also means being properly hydrated.

You want to ensure that you are consuming the right amount of water each day. This will not only make sure that your body is functioning properly, but it will also ensure that you stay fuller longer and stave off some of those cravings.

Quick tip: Take your weight and divide it by half. That’s how many ounces of water you should have (this is before any exercise or hanging out in hot weather). ie: 160 pounds, you need AT LEAST 80 ounces of water.

Here’s how to drink more water.

This tip also appears in 4 foods to eat to beat bloating.

Don’t Deprive Yourself

Ok, so you feel off the rails. Mistakes happen and it is okay. All you need to focus on now is getting back on track.

This does not mean depriving yourself or restricting calories further. In fact, doing so can cause an adverse reaction and only have you falling off the rails further.

Go back to your normal caloric range, add in the good and eliminate the sugar and fried foods.

Eat as You Normally Would

Continue eating as you normally would. Whatever that means for you. The rest will work itself out.

Changing everything at once will have consequences and only cause you to fall further off the food rails.

Consume Vegetables with High Water Content

Eat water containing vegetables to help flush your system: asparagus, onions, bell peppers, lots of fiber filled fruits and veggies like berries, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.

Doing this will help you to feel fuller and satisfied longer, in addition to giving you the vitamin and mineral content you need.

Try this recipe for 3 Pepper Kale Salad.

Exercise

Make sure you get in some exercise. Whether that means popping in an old fitness DVD, participating in Beachbody On Demand, taking advantage of Free Youtube workouts, or going for a long walk, just make sure to get moving. You’ll feel 1000000x better for it.

Practice Mindful Eating

Be Mindful of what you eat.

This means that you shouldn’t skip out on that delicious sourdough bread! Rather than eating half a loaf though, have a slice. When I personally indulge a little too much for a too long I like to track what I eat so I can remember what a portion looks like for me. Apps I suggest: MyFitnessPal, Lose It, My Macros+, or a pen and paper.

Practicing mindful eating can help to change the way you consume your calories.

Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Not sleeping enough causes cravings and a whole cycle of overeating and less than ideal choices.

It will also deplete your energy sources and cause you to want to avoid your exercise. Make sure that you get a good night’s sleep every night, it can help you to make better choices both in what you choose to eat and how you choose to exercise.

Read more about how sleep affects weight loss here.

Stay Away From Trigger Foods

Stay away from trigger foods.

If one cookie leads to 5, hide them, or chuck them to prevent a repeat. Instead, find foods that make you feel good but still satisfy your sweet tooth.

Try melting an ounce of dark chocolate and dip apples in it or make some air-popped popcorn with nutritional yeast (or your favorite low sodium popcorn seasoning). This will help to get you back on track without dying at 7pm because you just need a little something.

Meal Plan

If you overeat because you don’t have a plan in place, try meal planning. It takes the guesswork out of what to eat and prevents ordering the pizza, breadsticks, and hot wings that you’ll overdo it with.

Not only that, but meal planning can save you time and money in the long run.

Not sure where to start with meal planning? Check out my Meal Planning Method where I walk you through the baby steps and show you how I meal plan to keep my family eating healthy foods and reducing our food waste.

Be Kind to Yourself

Remember that you did nothing wrong.

Life happens and you are an incredible person. If you overeat due to emotional triggers or emotional eating, think about journaling to find your triggers and deep dive into your feelings. Always remember that you can connect with a licensed counselor or therapist too if you need too. There is no harm in ensuring that you are taking care of yourself.

Falling off the food rails isn’t the end of the world. We all find ourselves overindulging once in a while. Just make sure that you identify what is going on and then take the steps to get back on track. In no time, you will find yourself feeling good again.