I Cheated on My Diet - What Do I Do Now?

Oops! That piece of cake (or cookie, or candy bar, or...) proved to be too tempting. Don't worry - it happens to everyone that's been on a  diet . It's important to not let your mistake get you completely off track though. Now's the time to buckle down and get back in control. But how do you regain control if you're confessing that "I cheated on my  diet "? Easy - follow these simple tips.

1. Acknowledge the mistake. Don't just try to forget what you ate or try to make excuses for what you did. Tell yourself that you messed up, and you ate something that was not on your  diet  plan.

2. Draw the line. Walk away from whatever was tempting you in the first place. You can also throw it in the garbage or cover it with something distasteful like pepper or mustard so you won't eat any more.

3. Pledge your allegiance. Decide that you will recommit to your  diet  because you know that you want to lose weight and following your  diet  will help you get there. If need be, make a list of all the reasons you want to lose weight to help motivate you again.

4. Don't beat yourself up. Cut yourself some slack and realize that everyone makes mistakes, especially dieters. Just because you're saying "I cheated on my  diet ," it doesn't make you a criminal.

5. Give yourself a pat on the back. Congratulate yourself for taking back control of your eating. You didn't let one little mistake derail your  diet  for the whole day. You deserve some praise - consider even rewarding yourself (with a non-food treat of course!).

6. Eat normally. Go right back to your  diet  plan for the rest of the day. You don't deserve to starve to try to conserve calories. You might end up getting too hungry and cheating again if you try to restrict yourself.

7. Review what happened. After you are fully out of the tempting situation, go over the triggers that led you to eat something you hadn't planned for. Were you stressed, bored, tired, or angry? If you can pinpoint what led you to cheat, you can make a plan to avoid it the next time.

8. Re-evaluate and make a plan. Now you need to sit down and make a plan for what to do the next time you find yourself being tempted by a food that's not on your  diet . This is also a good time to re-evaluate your  diet  program. Are you having a hard time with it because it's too unrealistic and restrictive? Perhaps you should research other  diets  that may work better for your lifestyle and preferences.

"I cheated on my  diet " is not an excuse to binge the rest of the day. Don't lose hope that all is lost. You are now armed with the steps to get back on track and continue on in your quest to be thinner and healthier.

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