by Frederic Patenaude

I have a confession to make. I'm not perfect. Sometimes, I fall off the wagon with my diet and fitness activities.

Sometimes I eat more fat than I would like too. Sometimes I eat foods that don't make me feel great. Sometimes I end up being sedentary for a little while.

Let's face it. It's rare that you'll find someone who will commit 100% to something and never look back or have a breakdown. But your ability to succeed will be measured by your determination and focus, as well as your ability to learn from your “mistakes”.

So here are 7 things you can do *today* to get back on track with your diet.

1- Don't Be Hard on Yourself

We're really fast at acknowledging our shortcomings, but much less at acknowledging our successes. It's very easy to beat yourself up when you fall off the wagon and never take time to celebrate all the successes you've had so far.

So don't be hard on yourself and just look at what you've accomplished, no matter how small it may look! Compared to where a lot of people are at right now, you've already come a long way.

2- Reset Your System and Fast

In my book “The Raw Secrets”, I talked about the value of occasionally fasting 24 to 36 hours, or even 2-3 days (longer fasts should be supervised).

This is especially useful to get back on track with your diet. Fasting just 24 to 36 hours will literally “reset” your system and make it much easier to start eating right again.

Don't get me wrong. I don't suggest doing the harmful pattern of binging now and fasting later. I'm just saying that a short fast might be just what you need to give your body a chance to get back to a state of balance.

You can refer to my book “The Raw Secrets” for more information. If you're unsure about doing a short fast or your health does not permit it, then simply having a couple days of mono-fruit meals (only eating one type of fruit per meal), will give you great results.

3- List Your Benefits

When you have the time, take a moment to list all of the reasons *why* you are committed to a healthy lifestyle. Why do it at all?

Unless you know the *why*, you won't know the *how*. Any small difficulty will throw you off balance.

So your homework assignment is to list at least 25 benefits or reasons for eating well (however you define it at this point) and exercising. Then put this list in a place where you can see it!

4- Recommit

Commitment is very important. It just means that you're willing to do whatever it takes to get to where you want to go.

After you've listed your benefits, take a moment to commit to your success. All it takes is *share* your list with someone else, someone who can support you (ideally, your “success buddy”!) and tell them you commit to achieving those results.

5- Give Yourself a Goal

In addition to writing your list of benefits, give yourself one to three short-term goals that you believe you can accomplish within the next 6 to 12 months.

Maybe it is to *release* a certain amount of weight. Maybe it is to lower your body fat level down to a certain percentage. Or maybe it is to succeed doing so many push-ups in a row.

Set a few realistic goals that are also a little challenging, and keep your mind focused on them.

6- Be Prepared for the Next Breakdown

No matter how well you do in life, there *will* be another breakdown. I'm not saying that you'll necessarily fall off the wagon. Maybe it will just be a period of doubt and fear. Or you'll find yourself in a situation where you're not sure how to maintain your diet.

Prepare for success and envision different things that could potentially be challenging. What would you do in those moments? Take a moment to think about that and discuss it with your coach or someone who supports you.

7- Get Coaching and Support

Even the best athletes in the world have their own coaches. How do you think that you will make it without one?

A good coach will not only push you to get beyond where you want to go, but will also support you in the process and celebrate your successes with you.

Without coaching and support, it will be much more difficult to make your list of benefits come true.

If you can afford it, having a personal health coach will make a tremendous difference for you.

So, now that you're armed with these 7 tips I have revealed in this article, start using them, and if possible, have a coach help you in the process.

Once you start applying them, you will understand why they make all the difference!

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