Two vegan cheesecakes, one cup of sprite, and a partidge in a pear treeeeeee....

* To skip all this diet blah blah and see how I ultimately resolved the issue, skip to the end of this post :)

I have been following Eat To Live for about two weeks now. I have never actually experienced seeing such great and undeniable results from changing my eating and exercise habits. I have been gushing about it to people because I feel so good, but I have shyed away from calling it a "diet."

Gah! Today it felt like a diet, and I totally blew it up! I had a rather stressful couple of days, and really hit my breaking point, coping wise...not coping in the big picture, but coping as in avoiding unhealthy foods. I am also wearing thin on greens and salads, but I think this wouldn't be such a big deal if I weren't already craving comfort foods.

I know my transgressions ( sprite, a soy caramel latte, and vegan cheesecake) over the past few days are not a big deal in the grand scheme, but I feel dissapointed that I didn't deal with my feelings in a better day. Dr. Fuhrman, in Eat To Live, discusses planned breaks from the diet. I love that idea, because no eating plan that totally excludes wonderful treats is for me. I think the dissapointment comes in from the fact that my treats this week weren't planned or enjoyed, but really came from stress and a bad mood.

I want to respond to stank feelings with yoga or hula hooping or some making some glitter-filled mega crafts, not eating sugar!! I think that sometimes food, for me and others, is a control issue, like everything feels out of control, but I can pick what I put in my mouth. Thankfully in my case, that's emotional eating. For many people sadly, I think it turns into eating disorders. For everyone, it seems that there are way healthier  methods to managing this stuff. I do love that I can start all over again tomorrow (believe me, I am gonna enjoy every drop of this latte before it's time to get back on the wagon!).

I found a good piece of info on this topic:

"Tom Venuto, of Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle fame, has an interesting post that revolves around coping mechanisms and the studies that show the difference between “maintainers” and “relapsers”…
Relapsers reported using food to make themselves feel better when they were upset. They also attributed weight gain to unexpected or unpredictable stressful life events.
Maintainers, by contrast, confronted their problems directly and looked for alternative ways to cope with them (other than eating)
These included relaxation techniques, meditation, exercise, focusing on productive work, seeking social support, getting professional help, or talking out their feelings with other people they trusted.
This by the way, confirms previous research in the area of addiction recovery which found that a person who has made a successful behavior change will return to a previous negative pattern if a stressful situation occurs and no coping skills have been developed to deal with it."

Hrm....

Here are some tips I gathered from around the Interpipe on avoiding diet relapses:

*Mix it up a bit. One common reason for relapse is your weight loss routine has become too, well, routine! Go shopping at a different store or a farmers market and bring home some different appealing yet healthy food. Take a new exercise class. Find a new walking route. Make it new and interesting again.


*Reward yourself. If you feel like your final goal is too far away to even think about, it will be easy to throw in the towel. Instead, set smaller goals and reward yourself when you reach them. Make the reward something good that you wouldn't normally do for yourself, as long as it is not food.

*The 6-Step Plan for Relapse Prevention


1. Step back and ask, “What happened?” Look objectively at what brought on the lapse.

2. Calm down. Take a few deep breaths and remind yourself, “One slip-up does not make me a failure.”

3. Renew your vows. Remind yourself of how far you have come, and how disappointed you’ll be if this one slip-up undoes all your hard work.

4. Learn from it. Think about what pushed you to your lapse (your food diary notes can help). What can you do differently next time?

5. Implement your “back on track” strategy right away.

6. Call for backup. Ask for help from those people who are supportive and who want you to succeed.

Option B for sugar-snack induced self-pity and temporary life stressors:
Go listen to the awesome MEN Simultaneously LF Remix by Lauren Flax. Yes!!!