Ugh… I feel gross. But… maybe just one… more… piece of fudge… Wow, I can’t wait to get back on track with my goals.
My legs bob up and down joyously as I push aside reason and reach for a nearby plate. Ehh… I don’t need a plate. Butter knife in hand, I carve out a block of fudge from the tray. All the while, my teeth drip with saliva like a cartoon wolf.
This fudge is so good! But… oh no! It’s almost gone! Well, I don’t think anyone will care if I take a bit more…
I sure do love fudge. Say, I wonder if any cookies are left…
I saw it coming
This was me leading up to New Year’s.
Sweatpants on, hair askew, full belly near constantly. And the carbs, oh the carbs! Cookies, cakes, pies, chocolates. You name it, we had it, just sitting there. On the kitchen island. Taunting whoever dared enter the vicinity.
But I had a plan.
Because I knew this was going to happen. And I was ready.
Carb consumption for Corey
One of my goals at that time was (and still is) to consume under ten grams of net carbohydrates each day. So picture my regular diet as a lot of meat and cheese. *Just for your reference, one standard candy bar has over 30 grams of carbohydrates – which is a lot.
Now, I knew those high-carb foods would be there.
And seeing as how I wanted to fully enjoy the holiday spirit, I also knew that I wanted to take a break from my many goals. Not for a terribly long time. Just for a couple weeks. Just to give myself enough time to rest, refresh, and start the year on a relaxed note.
Get back on track post-feast
If you’ve paused a goal before, particularly one involving food, you know it’s a slippery slope: one week can turn into two, to three, to ten, until months later you wonder what went awry. You had such good intentions!
I was determined to avoid that.
So leading up to the feast(s), I was thoughtful about my plan of action.
I looked at my goals and mentally noted which ones I was going to pause for the time being (it turned out to be most of them). I gave myself permission to “go for it” during the break and tried my best not to feel too guilty in the moments to follow.
You made a plan. Stick to it.
Most importantly, I made sure that I had a system in place to return to those goals on the first Monday of the year. In other words, I knew exactly on what day I would resume my goals and when I would resume them on said day.
In my daily and weekly planning, I made sure that my goals were allotted and accounted for. That way, when the time came around, all I had to do was stick to the schedule.
And that’s what I did.
How to get back on track with your goals
When you too are ready to get back on track with your goals, follow this same process.
- Decide what day you will get back to it (ex. Monday)
- Determine when you will take action on that day (ex. 11 AM)
- And then when the time comes, stick to your plan
If it seems easy, that’s because it is. But when you factor in the hecticness of life, it can be challenging to make time for this introspection. So plan for that just the same. Work out the details on the train to work, or while your daughter’s napping, or on a long car ride home.
Moving forward once again
Be thoughtful about when you will take the break and, more importantly, when you will end the break and get back to it. And for those currently on a break, look at your calendar, choose a day, make a plan, and follow through when the time arises.
If I can detox from cookies and cake, so can you. I’ll see you in the cheese aisle.
Corey
