Nutrition: What to Do If You "Go Off The Rails"

I use the term going off the rails.  What does it mean?  When I don’t have eating discipline.  When does it happen?  Often.  However, the overall goal is to create enough consistency to have positive results.

You may or may not be on a nutrition program and whether you are or you’re not I think we can all agree there’s two types of eating decisions; good ones and bad ones.  I also think we can all agree that it’s easier to stay on track at home.  The goal is to make a decent amount more good decisions than bad.  

I’m on a nutrition plan called Healthy Steps Nutrition and have a nutrition coach (coach Steve, who I’ll refer to in most of my nutrition discussions) who’s put me on a good path.  I recommend a plan like this because it helps you to find and focus on good choices to stay on a positive track.  I’ve had great results so far, losing significant body fat while gaining muscle mass.  CrossFit definitely helps build muscle but the right food helps with building muscle too – food is fuel!  The point being if you can establish a basis for good eating, it’s a lot easier to find good eating choices and stay on track no matter where you go. 

You’ll often see me write about the temptations of the road, and there’s lots of them.  And it’s okay to indulge.  But the difference between going off the rails and preventing a total train wreck is this (and here’s my main point for today); if you go off the rails and get right back on track, you can still win.  One bad day will not offset many good days.  Coach Steve often says if you have an off day (like Thanksgiving), and there’s many opportunities when travelling, just start over focusing on good habits the next day.

I fully admit I can be a total sugar addict.  Staying at a hotel that has fresh baked cookies?  That’s like kryptonite to me.  Is it possible to have just one?  I think not.  And that’s because sugar is addictive.  I don’t need to be an expert to say that.  Have you ever found that after you’ve had something sugary you immediately want another?  Yep.  That’s the sugar addiction. 

A huge help is having good alternatives.  Nutrition bars like an RX Bar have lots of protein and fulfills that craving for sweet.  Or, if you have a fridge in your hotel one of my favorite snacks is Oikos Triple Zero Greek yogurt.  It’s sweet, comes in lots of flavors, packs 15g of protein and fills you up. 

But I’ve also had the hotel cookies and reset the next day and have been fine.  What’s most important is to not throw your hands up and say “well, I’ve blown it so I’m not going to try anymore”.  If you keep trying every day, even if you have a few bad days, don’t give up.  The temptations of the road are strong but you can be stronger.  So, if you have an off day or days or even an off trip, think about getting back on track for your next meal or next day.  It’s the overall focus and regular good habits that will lead you to success.

Wishing you safe, healthy and successful travels.

Here’s the disclaimer:  I am not a nutrition expert, coach or program or product representative.  I am not ordained in any way as having expertise on the topic of nutrition.  These are my experiences on what has worked for me and how I’ve found success.  I will share tips that have been shared with me by my nutrition coach (coach Steve) and have permission to do so.  I may also share ideas or point to recipes from the nutrition program that I adhere to; Healthy Steps Nutrition.  The point being, I am a regular person sharing my nutrition experiences that I hope you find helpful and you may find that different things work for you.