Get off Track? 3 Unusual Strategies to Quickly Get You Back on Keto

Everyone gets off track.

You, me — even the one who says she’s never “cheated” (ever) (seriously) (not even once).

Besides, cheating is for dieters.

But you’re not a dieter. You’re trying to live a better lifestyle.

So you slip up. You make mistakes. And that makes you, and me — human.

But how do the keto pros do it?

They’ve lost a ton of weight and kept it off for years. They’re off their meds, relieved their symptoms, reversed their obesity-related condition.

How do they get back on track so effortlessly?

Not immortal beings

• It’s not because they “want it more” than you do.
• They’re not endowed with superhuman willpower.
• They’re not gifted by the gods with an infinite supply of motivation.

What’s their secret?

They use strategies.

Strategies that make it easier for them to get back on track quickly.

The ability to get back on track quickly is a critical skill for building habits.

They’re simply in the habit of keto.

Now imagine if getting back on track were as easy as the habit of brushing your teeth every morning.

No wonder they do it so painlessly.

But before you can build those habits, you need to repeat them consistently over time.

That’s where these strategies are useful.

They help you develop the skill of getting back on track quickly so you can start building keto habits.

Let’s take a look.

1. It’s on a (boring) calendar

Incredibly unsexy, I know.

But if you don’t give it a special slot in your busy day, what’s the likelihood it gets done?

Consider this scenario after a weekend slip-up:

You say to yourself:
My next meal is going to be keto!

VS

You write on your calendar:
5 PM, Monday. Grocery. Buy ingredients for rib-eye steak and arugula salad dinner.

It’s mundane. But the difference is striking.

Which one makes it more likely that your next meal is keto?

2. It’s (ridiculously) small

The force that drags you back to your old ways can get powerful once you get off track.

The good news is you don’t need to fight your way through it.

In fact, don’t.

Back off. And make your action smaller.

Here’s a scenario after a 3-day splurge from an out-of-town family vacation:

I’m going to meal prep a week’s worth of keto meals when I get home!

But before you know it you’re so overwhelmed you can’t even begin.

What dish?
Which recipe?
Do I have enough containers?
How do I divvy up the portions?
Should I prep all meals, or just lunch?
Where do I find time to shop, cook, and prep?

Having a week’s worth of keto meals is ideal.

But it’s not an ideal next step to quickly get you back on track — especially if it makes you do nothing at all.

Try these:

I’ll have eggs for breakfast.

Or

I’ll have coffee for breakfast.
I’m not hungry during breakfast anyway.

Still feel resistance?

Go smaller until it’s laughable you don’t feel the resistance anymore.

The action can be so tiny it’s bizarre, odd, weird.

The enormity of the action shouldn’t keep you from getting back on track as quickly as possible.

How about this?

You find yourself eating those Biscoff Cookies on the plane ride home, so you decide:

I’m eating all of this, but I’m throwing away the first bite.

Ridiculous isn’t it? Anybody can do that.

Excellent.

3. It’s (so) not perfect

Because nobody is.

Not even the World Series champs.

But they sure show up consistently. Even when they strike out. They’re back in the bullpen throwing one imperfect pitch after another.

So instead of playing the game of “all-or-nothing” … focus on what you can do — right now.

No matter how imperfect.

• Won’t “hit” those macros? Forget it. Just skip the rice.
• Indulging on your sister’s wedding day? Drink plenty of water first, then eat all the veggies, before you indulge.
• Eat a potato chip? Might as well eat the whole bag because what-the-hell, right? Nope, you haven’t “ruined it all”.

You don’t need to hit a home run to get back on track.

All you have to do is show up to practice. That’s what the pros do.

It’s how they win.

The one thing that permanently keeps you off track

What do these have in common?

• You want it to be perfect. But the perfect scenario never arrives.
• You feel the need to atone for your mistakes. So you set your sights on something so ginormous it’s paralyzing.
• You want to prep home cooked keto meals. But you hope to bend the space-time continuum, instead blocking space for it on your busy calendar.

It’s the one thing that keeps you from getting back on track: Inaction.

So even if you can’t bend Einstein’s theory of relativity…

there’s Newton’s law of motion:

An object at rest will stay at rest, and an object in motion will stay in motion.

Which means if you simply kept moving in the right direction?

You might just be unstoppable.

About the Author

Abby Roaquin BSN, RN lost 65 pounds, kept it off for 5 years, and reversed prediabetes on a low carb, high fat lifestyle.

She helps people slowly but permanently lose fat on keto through habits and mindfulness.

Originally published at mindfulketo.com.