Get Back on Course After a Slip

The poet Alexander Pope said it best: "To err is human, to forgive divine." Everyone on this diet is human, and everyone is going to cheat. If it's not a slice of cake at an office birthday party, then it might be potato chips during the big game, or those irresistible doughnuts. Cheating occurs especially around snack time, when you're going to be craving your favorite comfort foods. Remember the second part of the quotation and forgive yourself for your transgression — don't destroy a day of good eating because of a silly mistake. Just because you ate a candy bar after lunch doesn't mean you should skip having a healthy dinner! You're up to the challenge of staying on course, even after a little misdirection. www.5factordiet.com

Stop Making Excuses!

"It's too hard!" "I have no time!" "It doesn't taste good!" Does this sound familiar? If so, this challenge is for you! Excuses like these disrupt your diet and fitness plan. You can always come up with reasons not to do what you should, but other people are out there doing it, so we know you can, too! When you start making excuses, write them down, and next to those, write solutions for overcoming the excuses. For example, if your excuse for eating a sugary bowl of cereal in the morning (instead of a 5-Factor-friendly breakfast) is that you had to get the kids off to school, write down next to that excuse: "Get up 15 minutes earlier," so you have time for your breakfast before you worry about the kids. Anytime you start to justify your actions, look back at your list of excuses and solutions to remind yourself how easy it is to achieve what you want!