Week #28: Turn Slip-Ups into Success

It's a cruel fact of life: none of us is perfect. And the fact that I just typed that out means there is now real live proof that I admitted that, much to my chagrin. At any rate, accepting that we slip up, I think it's important to figure out how to get back on track, right?

I joined Weight Watchers 3 times. The first two times, obviously something happened that caused me to drift away. What if I could have gone back in time and prevented that? Short of finding myself a DeLorean and 1.21 gigawatts of electricity, that seems highly unlikely, so about all I can do is lead YOU by example.

I didn't get to almost fifteen years of Lifetime membership by giving up, or saying "oh to heck with it." I figured out some strategies to get me back on track before any weight gain became too much. Here are some of my ideas:

1. When I've overindulged in something that is sugary and sweet, one of the things that helps is to get the taste out of my mouth. So if I'm able, I brush my teeth. I'm not sure why, but this strategy seems to help more when it's a sweet indulgence, rather than a salty or savory one. Keeping that sweet taste in my mouth seems to be a recipe for disaster.

2. Do something small to get right back on track. This is mostly a symbolic measure: filling up my water bottle, looking through some Weight Watchers material (cookbooks, the magazine, website, whatever), even chewing on a stick of gum to keep my mouth busy. It doesn't have to be a fresh start from a new day...why waste the hours left in THIS day, right?

3. Focus on how I'm feeling after the indulgence. Am I feeling good? Am I feeling healthy? Usually not! If I feel so poorly, why would I subject myself to this again? (note: this one doesn't always work - I have amnesia that I can only imagine is similar to whatever mothers go through in which they forget about the pain of childbirth - thankfully a big meal isn't THAT painful!)

Any other suggestions?