Fallen Off The Wagon? | 7 Ways To Get Your Diet Back-On-Track

Indulged a little too much throughout the Summer holidays? Don't worry - I think we all have!

BBQ's, Festivals, Weddings - they can all take their toll.

It can be really tough to get back into training and eating after you have had some time off. To ease your way back into (or begin!) a healthier routine, we've compiled a few tips that have proven to be really useful for getting your game-face back on with nutrition and training after that indulgent break!

Some of these may be familiar to some - but there's nothing like a gentle reminder...

#1 Plan ahead

Planning ahead is the secret to success with any nutrition plan. If you plan ahead it will make life easier and it will be much less tempting to veer off plan if your meals are there ready to be eaten.

Make a list for your food shopping ahead of time, and make sure that you have plenty of healthy supplies in so that you can do some food prep if necessary for lunches at work or college.

#2 Track your food intake

There are loads of apps for your phone nowadays that make tracking your food a piece of cake - additionally, you might want to go old-school with a food diary. You'll be less likely to cheat if it's down on paper in front of you...

Tracking your food is important not only to make sure that you don’t over eat, but also to make sure that you don’t under-eat as well!

It also makes it much easier to implement any changes that need to be made if you know exactly what you are eating. Tracking your food also helps you avoid eating hidden calories.

It is so easy to eat something and forget you ever had it when you are adding up your day’s food in your head; these type of apps eliminate the guess work and also will provide you with a macro-nutrient breakdown of all the foods that you have eaten!

#3 Make sure to have healthy foods on hand

You won’t always have your meals prepared ahead, and so it is important to have some options available to you that are quick and easy to prepare.

Foods like eggs and tins of tuna are great to have on hand as they keep well and are easy to make into a snack or a meal!

Frozen fruit and vegetables are also great to have in your freezer as they are more nutritious than fresh and you can whip them out at a moment’s notice to prepare a healthy nutritious meal.

#4 Vary your meals

Variety is the spice of life! To get the most nutrition from your food, try and eat a varied diet. It will also help to prevent boredom with your diet and if you enjoy your food, it is much easier to stay on plan.

Most protein sources like chicken, meat and fish taste totally different depending on how you prepare them and adding spices and sauces can make a big difference to their taste. Include a rainbow of fruit and vegetables in your diet to make it that bit more appealing!

I try to make a new dish every week, you can get plenty of recipes on the internet that is cheap and easy to make!

#5 Built treats into your plan

Don’t forget to allow for some treats in your plan. By including treats you are less likely to binge and also won’t feel deprived.

This is really important if you have been eating off plan and are not back into the swing of things again and it will make the process a whole lot easier for you!

It may be tempting to go cold turkey - and if this is the case for you, then no problem! But seriously - including a few treats, even if they're guilt-free protein treats, may just prevent any diet sabotage in the long run!

#6 Drink plenty of water

As obvious as this may seem, some don't realise that it is very easy to mistake thirst for hunger! It is also obvious that a lot of people dislike drinking water... especially if you're visiting the toilet a trillion times a day.

However, water will definitely do the trick when you're tempted to reach for some snacks when you're not even hungr (we've all done it...) Drinking enough water will help keep you fuller for longer and even remove some cravings - believe it or not!

Why not make it taste nicer by adding some slices of lemon or lime to give it a fruity flavour?

#7 Include enough fibre in your diet

Fibre is important not only for digestive health, but it also helps to create a feeling of fullness.

Include plenty of complex carbs such as oats and brown rice in your diet - as these are complex carbs they will also help fight off any sugar cravings throughout the day!

Add plenty of fruit and vegetables to make sure that you get enough in your diet - however, do remember to introduce fibre into your diet gradually to avoid any unnecessary discomfort.

Take Home Message

It can be tough getting back on track after holidays, but a few days of following these tips will make it much easier to transition back into your nutrition plan with ease!

Being healthy doesn't have to be boring!