Messed Up Your Diet? Quitting Is the Only Mistake

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Have you ever made a mistake? Sure you have. We have too … lots of them. In fact, we wish we had a nickel for every mistake we've ever made, because we'd be gazillionaires by now! They're usually little innocuous things like forgetting a friend's birthday or burning the toast.

Ever done something like that? Were you so devastated by your oversight that you gave up on the friendship and stopped talking to that person? Was the burnt toast such a big deal that you abandoned breakfast altogether for that day? Of course not! You probably called your friend as soon as you remembered her birthday and made a new piece of toast to replace the burnt one. In short, you owned up to the mistake and fixed the problem.

When You Eat Stupidly

That same "Oops, I goofed, but it's not the end of the world" attitude applies to diet and exercise. There will be times when you eat an unhealthy meal or start mindlessly munching from a bag-o-junk while watching your favorite TV show. Once you realize what you're doing, should you tell yourself, "Well I already blew it today, so I might as well finish the bag"? Or should you stop that train before it leaves the station and put the bag away, log the extra calories in your food journal, and vow to add 15 minutes to your next workout to compensate for the goof? The answer is obvious, but so many people throw in the towel when they waver from their diet. They either go on a full-fledged junk food binge or quit altogether.

Be Logical

We've all heard someone say, "Well I already blew it today, I guess I'll just have fun now and start my diet over tomorrow." Or "Sigh … I messed up and ate a piece of cake, so what's one more?"

Having a second piece of cake doubles the amount of sugar and fat you put in your system. It's like forgetting a friend's birthday and being so ashamed that you call her up and insult her on top of it. It's just nuts. By the same token, making a little food mistake and giving up for an entire day is like burning the toast and feeling so despondent that you purposely scorch the rest of your meals that day too. That makes no sense at all. The right thing to do is catch yourself and turn over a new leaf immediately. That's it. Just stop and get back on track.