Stick to Your Diet No Matter What

Nlongenecker

Stick to Your Diet No Matter What
Feeling sidetracked? Learn to regroup!

By Pamela M. Peeke, MD, MPH , Dr. Peeke is a senior scientist in developmental endocrinology and metabolism at the National Institutes of Health, where she has researched the relationship between stress, nutrition and longevity.
Many women let stress and special occasions get to then, and then they gain weight. The way to tackle this problem is to learn to handle daily stresses by regrouping each day and have more stress management to become more resilient.


What does this mean? To regroup means that no matter what hits you, you can cope. Regrouping means that you see life's events, and you adjust and adapt to them without engaging in self-destructive habits.


The art of regrouping is a powerful tool that allows you to use opportunities that appear during crises and to continue a healthy eating and activity plan. Here are some stress management tips and exercises to help you as you learn how to regroup throughout the year.


Step 1: Get an Attitude Say to yourself: I am stress resilient. Imagine that you are a strong oak tree. No amount of wind will cause your trunk to bend. The trunk is your inner core. Your branches, however, are flexible. They are your protective stress management adapters and bend with the wind. On a calm day, the branches don't move. But in a storm, they may twist and turn to keep from breaking.

Step 2: Use All of Your Plans Create a Plan A. Write down your healthy eating and activity plan on a low-stress day.


Now, make a list of everything that could wreck your stress management plan. It could be unexpected guests for dinner, an illness, a deadline, financial problems, or a broken treadmill. Now, rewrite your Plan A incorporating any of these problems and show how you can work around them. Create a Plan B, C, D, and E. The trick? Make do! Example: It's too cold to take your Plan A walk. Plan B means walking in the mall or on the health club's treadmill.


Tell yourself each day, No matter what kind of curveball I have to catch today, I'll simply make do!

Step 3: Regroup after Relapse Regrouping after a discouraging bout of self-destructive behavior is tough. Say to yourself, <>Okay, things got out of control. Now I've got to get back to it. If you give yourself 3 days of self-destruction withdrawal, you can usually regain momentum and continue the journey.


Why 3 days? You need time to relearn Plan A, practice it, and let it solidify. You need to turn off the self-critical thoughts and jump into your healthy stress management routine again.
The 72-Hour Regrouping-After-Relapse Plan

Day One Plan how and when you'll eat and exercise. Don't think any negative thoughts about yourself! Keep busy. Get to bed early, and cut out habits (such as TV) that stimulate overeating.


Day Two Repeat Day One. Congratulations! You made it through without any self-destructive behavior. Today, plan and be prepared. No negative thoughts allowed. Get to bed early.

Day Three Now feelings of accomplishment begin to supplant self-hate. You are still vulnerable, so repeat Day Two's routine again. You will regroup countless times in your life; veering off your stress management routine is just another opportunity to practice the art.


Now, when stresses occur, you will be able to adapt, adjust, and cope without destroying your baseline healthy lifestyle. No need for anxiety about the months ahead. You can regroup to stay fit and well!