The 'Plan B' to try if you're struggling with healthy eating goals

SALT LAKE CITY — You start out with good intentions, but then life gets in the way. And so does food. If you're struggling to stick with your healthy eating goals, try a 'Plan B.'

Registered Dietician Paige Smathers shared three things to do if you're healthy eating goals aren't going to plan.

"It feels like if you've struggled in this exact moment, then you have to give up and start another time," Smathers said.

This cycle is actually really problematic for your actual health and nutrition. Instead of starting over again and again, she said to shift directions now, not later.

Course Correct Now

"There's nothing magical about tomorrow," Smathers emphasized. "There's nothing magical about Monday morning."

Waiting for a fresh start date actually creates more extremes. Smathers said to ask yourself one question: "What's the next right choice right now?"

"So if you have a lunch where you feel like you just kind of ate too much, didn't feel very good," she explained, "Ask yourself, 'What can I do tonight that will feel good and nourish me and not set me up for pendulum swings?'"

Recovery starts with your next decision, not the next week. Part of this mindset shift is getting better at catching yourself in the moment.

"Learn how to catch it faster rather than waiting for some arbitrary time in the future," Smathers said.

That might be making a balanced dinner after an bigger lunch, drinking water, getting enough sleep or choosing a nourishing breakfast the next morning. The important thing is responding now instead of postponing.

Temper All Or Nothing Thinking

"The all or nothing thinking is what comes up. All the time," she said. "We say, 'Well, if I ate this thing I told myself I shouldn't, then I might as well just give up.'"

She said to get rid of that thought pattern and exist somewhere in the middle. That's where you find long-term success. Special occasions, vacations, restaurants and celebrations happen. They aren't obstacles to your healthy eating goals, they're part of normal living. If your nutrition plan can't accommodate real life, it's hard to maintain.

"Learning how to have an approach to food that fits in is key, too," Smather's emphasized.

Healthy eating should work whether you're at home, traveling or celebrating with friends and family.

Adjust Your Approach to Food

If your nutrition goals don't stick, there's not a problem with you, it's your plan.

"Something about your approach to food is not working," Smathers explained. "It's not necessarily you."

If the way that you're approaching food doesn't feel sustainable, it's time to look more closely at it. If eating at a restaurant consistently leaves you feeling like you've failed, or if every vacation throws you completely off track, it may be time to adjust your strategy rather than blaming yourself.

"The key is to really reflect on sustainability," Smathers emphasized. "Your approach to food should feel fun and flexible."

She explained that your eating patterns should be something that can last throughout your life, not something you attempt temporarily and then lose track of.

This story originally aired on KSL TV and has been reformatted for a digital audience using artificial intelligence.