We have all been there. It seems like out of nowhere the nutrition approach that you were following religiously just stops working. Not only is it not working- maybe you are struggling to work IT. Here’s how that looked for me a few years ago.
I would go through all of the motions to set myself up to follow my nutrition plan but not be able to follow through. Friday grocery shopping- check. Sunday meal prep- check. The ritualistic eggs and oats for breakfast on Monday- check. But by Monday afternoon it was slowly unraveling and by Wednesday morning I was completely off target. Friday I would throw away the food that had gone bad and start again. Sound familiar? This is a classic case of falling into a rut with your nutrition.
While we don’t really enjoying feeling stuck or incapable to follow through with our own plans, there are three things that we can stop doing right now to thrive the next time we fall into a nutrition rut.
#1: Stop being surprised.
Motivation and nutrition compliance ebb and flow like most things in life. Rather than expect that you will perfectly follow your plan or that the plan that works now will suit you forever, expect to get stuck sometimes. Expect to need to adjust. Expecting the rut takes a lot of the emotion and irratic reactionary behavior out of the equation so that you can move swiftly and smoothly through this time.
#2: Stop trying to get out of the rut as soon as possible.
Being in a rut feels crumby. I get it. However when we are so set on getting out as quickly as we can, we make irrational decisions. I know I am not the only one who has ordered products or bought a plan for no other reason than I didn’t want to feel stuck. The very act of entering my credit card number felt like progress. Here’s the problem with rushing out of a rut… YOU MISS THE LESSONS that the rut is here to teach you.
#3: Stop thinking that you are doomed and giving in to the what the heck effect.
Just because you didn’t eat your planned meals doesn’t mean you need to go on a fast food bender. Failing to order your standard meat and double veggies at a meal doesn’t mean you may as well just eat the appetizer, pasta dish, dessert AND wine. You see where I am going with this. It is easy to feel like there isn’t a point to putting any effort in at all when you are stuck in a rut because quite frankly, you aren’t following your habits and you aren’t getting results. However just because you are struggling a little doesn’t mean that you need to throw in the towel and go backward. You will be surprised how little ground you lose if you ride out the rut and just do your best rather than eating with reckless abandon until you feel in control again. This is a chance to practice not letting perfect be the enemy of good. Do your best and forget about the rest.
