Your Slip-Up Survival Guide

Slip-ups are inevitable when you're dieting. That may sound so obvious—yet when it happens, we're not prepared for it. In fact, we often use it as an excuse: "I've already blown my diet so I might as well continue devouring doughnuts at a breakfast meeting instead of filling up on fruit," we may find ourselves thinking. It's time to stop feeling guilty about all your past dietary lapses and start preparing for any future ones. The next time you find yourself with a fistful of cookies or a giant spoon of Rocky Road ice cream, try to: • Pause. As you're plowing through a bag of cookies, a pint of ice cream or whatever tempting goodie you should be avoiding, stop for a moment and evaluate your feelings. Are you eating all this food because you're in a rebellious mood? If you had only a spoonful or two of ice cream, would that feel OK? If you put away the bag of cookies, could you handle it—might you feel even better in few minutes? What if you put on your workout clothes and headed to the gym instead? These answers may give you the strength to stop mid-stream. • Use the hunger scale. Using the handy 10-point scale hunger on a regular basis can stop a slip-up from spiraling out of control because it helps you get in touch with hunger. You learn to eat before you get overly hungry, to gauge fullness and to push away from the table at the perfect point. • Plan your splurges. Knowing that you have treats to look forward to can also help stop or even prevent a slip-up. Make sure you save treat calories for times when you need them most—when the family goes out for ice cream and you really want a small cone, or when you're having dinner at your friend's who makes the best cheddar mashed potatoes. Remember, a moderate splurge will help you stay on track. By Janis Jibrin, M.S., R.D., Best Life lead nutritionist