So I 100% cannot wait to get back on track after my holiday!
After eating my body weight in Greek food (officially obsessed with Tzatziki) and drinking plenty of wine, it’s safe to say I’ve put on a few pounds after our week in Crete.
I said to James when we went on our holiday, we would have a diet break. And boy did we! It was great not to count our macros, keep a track of what we were eating or do intermittent fasting. We all need to take a break if we’re doing any of these things, not only is it good for our bodies, but it’s also good for our souls.
Trust me when I say we really needed a break from it all
Although I may feel like this now, falling/going off track doesn’t make you a failure, it makes you human. We all need to indulge every-so-often, you know, to keep us sane! If you’re wanting to get back on track and start making those changes again, here are my top tips:
I’m not going to give you a fad diet, there is no detox, and there is no total starvation mode. There are just a lot of small, everyday healthy changes that are going to help to make you eat better, have more energy and just feel a whole lot healthier, because that’s what it’s all about. These are all things that work for me when I’m kicking my butt back into gear.
Set realistic goals
Don’t think that you’re going to look how you did pre-holiday in a week. Hell, it’s taken me six long months to get to a point where I’m happy with my body. It may take a while to get back to where you were, but if you want to do it, push forwards. Don’t starve yourself for a week thinking that it’ll all drop off. Remember, health and fitness is a lifestyle choice, not a quick fix.
Get back to basics
Forget fad diets, crazy detoxes or anything that promises miracle cures. Focus on eating less processed food, more fruit and vegetables and move more. Try cooking from scratch/fresh more often again. James and I literally cook from fresh every single day, it’s super easy and doesn’t have to be time consuming.
I am going back to basics of simply tracking what I eat, keeping track of my daily glasses of water, keeping track of my macros and increasing my NEAT. Just keeping it simple for the moment. I am also getting back onto my 15% caloric deficit as I’m going to be doing a cut, as this helps me get rid of fat.
Fill your plate up with more veggies!
Not only are vegetables healthy, but they are filling too – which is why I am trying to fill half my plate with them. Doing this really helps with portion control too. Volume foods are a great aid for fat loss which is what my ultimate goal is now.
Be active every day
This doesn’t have to mean dragging yourself to the gym every day, because trust me when I say that post-holiday, going to the gym for 7 days a week is not at the forefront of my mind! For me, this will be little things like going on walks on my lunch break.
If you’re not a lover of the gym, walking is great. Either that or get yourself onto YouTube and search for quick 15/2o minute HIIT workouts that you can do at home! These types of workouts are perfect for getting yourself back on track, plus they’re super short but get you really sweaty.
Try some new recipes
With James and I cooking from fresh most nights, it’s really easy to get stuck in a rut. This is why I’ve recently ordered the Monthly Meat Box from Farmison & Co. It’s perfect because it means we’re trying different cuts of meat from what we would usually buy, which forces us to research and try new recipes.
You will find it hard to get back to healthy eating if you are not excited about the meals you have planned. So, look online, look through recipe books and check out Pinterest! It’s a fantastic, visual tool to help you find all kinds of new and exciting meal ideas.
Food is not, and will never be the enemy!
Developing a healthy relationship with food is a top priority. There is no good and bad food (this of course doesn’t include people who have allergies), just consistent choices; you don’t have to 100% cut things out of your diet and never eat the things you enjoy again. Getting healthy and losing weight is about creating a healthy relationship with food, not an even unhealthier one.
When people talk about cutting out carbs from their diet, it makes me cringe. Carbs and good fats are not the enemy, in fact they’re good for you. Obviously I don’t mean you can gorge on white processed pasta and pizza all the time, but substituting these for wholemeal pasta and homemade pizza made with LoDough for example are perfect alternatives.
Cut back the alcohol
This is a must for me post-holiday. I mean don’t get me wrong, James and I don’t really drink at all, if we do it’s on a weekend and will be a glass of wine each with dinner. So this won’t be hard for us. But on holiday we drank so much it wasn’t even funny…
Drink…more…water
You would have thought that being in the heat meant we would drink more anyway…you couldn’t be more wrong! Before holiday I was drinking bottles and bottles every day with my Phoenix Fitness Fruit Infuser bottle. I would 100% recommend getting a reusable one, because not only do you end up drinking more during the day, you’re also helping save the planet.
Use code [SOPHIE20] for 20% off your order.
Just get on with it
Post holiday or just falling off track does unfortunately mean tough love my lovelies!
Yes, it sucks that you have gained some weight and it is so much easier to just sit back and not do anything, but if you want to feel good again, you just have to get on with it. Sure it’s going to be hard, you are going to get angry and frustrated, but remember that it will all be worth it in the end.
As well as this post being a place where I share with you all the things that have worked for me in the past, and will hopefully work for me again this time, this post is where I am publicly recommitting. I have gained weight, my favourite clothes don’t fit as well, I feel like crap and I miss working out and feeling good.
What’s your top tip for getting back on track? Let me know in the comments!
