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Postmortem

Nov 29, 2017

 

How did your Thanksgiving go? 

 

I know for many of you, planning worked—congratulations!  You discovered that it’s possible to have a meaningful, memorable time without regretting food choices. 

 

Nice job.

 

For the rest of us—we can love ourselves anyway and learn from the things we could’ve done better. 

 

In fact, it’s one of the ways humans learn best—from things going awry.  But the learning only comes with acknowledging the misstep, analyzing the events leading up to it and figuring out what to try differently next time.

 

A postmortem.

 

Just after Thanksgiving is the perfect time to practice the technique—evaluate the situation, learn from it and move on with intention.

 

·      Were you too hungry?

·      Did some people get the best of you?

·      Did one meal turn into a weekend free-for-all?

 

Knowing what your triggers were, after the fact, takes some emotion out of it and allows you to prepare differently for a similar situation.

 

Take some time now to stop and contemplate, because . . .

 

. . . we are moving into Holiday Party time, and sometimes it’s all too easy to throw up our hands and let the good times roll unconsciously.  We say we’ll deal with the consequences after January first, but . . .

 

I wouldn’t suggest it.

 

Remember, preventing a pound is easier than losing one.  It’s the next pound you are preventing at this point. 

 

After you’ve figured out a game plan for the next celebration, what is the one thing you can do today to get yourself back on track?

 

I always like to start with a "gateway" act—something that feels do-able and will lead me back to my healthier habits.

 

Ultimately logging your meals gets you where you want to be—completely conscious of your food.  But sometimes that feels too big, so what can come before that?

 

Environmental control is a good place to start.

 

Clean out your fridge and pantry.  If it isn’t there, it’s harder to eat or drink it.

 

I was talking with a client this week who reminded me that environmental control works in reverse as well.

 

I asked about her water consumption, as I so often do. 

 

[Dehydration can make you feel chronically off—tired, dry, hungry—without even realizing what the problem is.  Try drinking 1-2 liters of water a day and see if you don’t feel much better].

 

She reported she had done better. 

 

How? 

 

She was visiting people who had it available everywhere.  So she drank more. 

 

Aha! 

 

Want to drink more water?  Have it out and visible all over the place. 

 

Want to exercise more often? Put your shoes where you will see them. 

 

Want to eat more veggies?  Have them cut up, washed and ready to eat in a see-through container on the top level of your fridge.

 

Visual reminders, limited temptations and thoughtful analysis will get you back on track for the rest of the Holiday Season and beyond.

 

Now that's something to celebrate.