If you’re like most people, you may have slipped up with your nutrition over the weekend.
It’s normal. It happens.
But if this is a recurring pattern for you — enough that you’re troubled by it — then I’d like to share a short but effective exercise you can try to help get to the bottom of it.
You see, overindulging on the weekend — or any time, really — doesn’t happen randomly or by accident. There’s always a reason for our behavior, and there are usually circumstances that lead to it.
There’s also a cycle related to this behavior, and it goes something like this:
You’re feeling stressed, anxious or upset.
You overeat.
You feel guilty or ashamed for overeating.
You vow to do better.
You go all-in with an overly restrictive routine that isn’t sustainable.
You start feeling stressed, anxious or upset again …
…. And, the cycle repeats.
So here’s a little exercise you can do. I call it “Breaking The Cycle.”
The next time you have an episode of overeating (or drinking), follow these steps:
- Write down everything that was happening around you right before the episode happened. Where were you? Who were you with? What were you doing/thinking/feeling?
- Now, go back in time a few hours and go through the same exercise. Write down as much detail as possible.
- Look for patterns … and be curious about them.
If nothing jumps off the page, no worries. It took a long time to develop this behavior, and you’re not going to magically fix it in one day.
Repeat this exercise a few times until you notice some common themes.
“Every time I have a work deadline, I reach for the wine …”
“Hmmm, every time my mom calls, I go straight for the ice cream …”
“I do great from Monday-Thursday, but as soon as Friday hits, watch out …”
Once you identify your triggers, you can brainstorm some strategies for addressing them.
Don’t be frustrated if it takes some time to identify your triggers and come up with some solutions. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll find that breaking the overeating cycle is simpler than you think.
Your Friend and Coach,
Train Smart. Train Hard. Train Safe. Train to Sweatt
P.S. – Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you get started with a fresh start to your health and fitness routine:
1. Set yourself up for success
If you’re currently trying to lose weight, alleviate back pain and/or improve your health & fitness, you should schedule your success session. We’ll go over ways that you can start seeing results starting right after your session. Reply with ‘success’ to schedule yours today.
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Join my 28-Day Fresh Start program and get everything you need to get you back on track with your fitness goals. the workouts, the guidance, the motivation, the accountability… and individually-customized Registered Dietitian-designed and approved meal plans. Reply “Fresh” to get started today.
3. Working out but not seeing the results you want?
You probably just need to tweak your nutrition. I am going to be taking on 5 new people for my NutritionOS program. In this 8-week program you will learn everything you need to dial in your nutrition to get you to your fitness goals. What you eat is 60-80% of the equation. Reply ‘OS’ for more info.