The Verdict Is ‘Not Guilty’

Appetizer
Experience LESS guilt when you fall off the wagon. According to the dictionary, guilt is “self-reproach for supposed inadequacy or wrongdoing.” When we eat poorly one day or forego a planned workout for an evening of reality TV on the couch, we often allow guilt and shame to eat away at our confidence.

Main Course
Experts at the Mayo Clinic offer the following tips to keeping diet resolutions on track:
• Forgive yourself, and move on. Accept that you will have setbacks. No one is perfect.

• After a splurge, don't punish yourself by avoiding your favorite food or skipping meals. These perceived "solutions" are more likely to fuel your craving and lead to more overeating.

• Stay focused on the basics: healthy foods and smart portion sizes. If you indulge in a rich dinner one evening, plan on a low-calorie meal for the next day.

• Learn from experience. Reflect on what triggered overeating, and come up with creative ways to circumvent your temptations. If stress is a trigger, call a friend instead of opening a bag of chips. If your downfall is the larger portions often served at restaurants, ask for a box at the beginning of the meal, and save half for tomorrow's lunch.

• If certain foods are simply irresistible, find a sensible way of incorporating them into your healthy-eating plan. Avoiding them completely can increase your craving and trigger a binge-eating episode.

• Think about enjoying your "problem food" in a safe setting -- for example, if sweets are tempting, don't bake cookies when you're home alone. In contrast, if you're going to a birthday party, plan ahead on enjoying a small serving of cake.

• Celebrating your success, no matter how small, can help you avoid setbacks. Reward yourself with something unrelated to food when you've stayed on track from several weeks in a row. Taking time to notice your successes will help you build your confidence to recover from future mistakes.

Dessert
I rarely miss workouts, so most of my guilt is related to overeating. I just got back from a business trip where I ate huge portions of basically everything. I also had dessert after lunch and dinner each day, just because it was available (and delicious).

When I got back home, I was beating myself up for my behavior because I felt like I had just undone so much of my hard work from the previous weeks. But once I put everything in perspective, I realized that I just needed to get back on track rather than waste energy feeling bad about something that I can’t change.

About Cafe Physique:
The mission of Café Physique is to help clients reach and exceed their personal fitness and nutrition goals. If you’re in need of an a nutritionist in Atlanta or an Atlanta personal trainer – Café Physique is the perfect solution. We offer Atlanta yoga instruction, Atlanta prenatal workouts, and Atlanta personal training. We also have private sessions of pilates that Atlanta residents are raving about. We invite you to let a member of our Atlanta registered dietitian staff or personal training team develop and implement a realistic and healthy lifestyle plan to meet your personal goals.