Don't Derail Your Diet, Make a YOU-Turn

You're going to make wrong turns. You're going to turn left at the chili dogs, make a right at the blueberry pie, and occasionally merge onto the interstate of banana-nut pancakes with a side of sausage. Does that mean you should steer into the fatty crevasse of destructive eating? Of course not.

What you're going to do right then -- instead of drop-kicking healthy eating the moment you make one bad choice -- is to confront it.

If you've been in a car with a GPS unit, you know how it works. If you make a mistake, it doesn't tell you that you might as well drive off a cliff because you missed the turn. Instead, all it says, very politely, is this: "At the next available moment, make an authorized U-turn." The GPS recognizes the error matter-of-factly and simply guides you back onto the right road.

When you make a bad choice, repeat the YOU Diet mantra: "At the next available moment, make an authorized YOU-Turn." Get back on the right road.

What kills any regimen of healthy eating isn't the occasional slice of fudge cake or pizza; it's what happens after the initial indulgence. This mantra reminds you that the harm isn't in the mistake; it's in not figuring out how to deal with it.

Not enough? Do a yoga pose. We suggest the downward dog -- balancing your weight on your hands and feet, with your butt hiked toward the ceiling in an inverted V. Not only will it give you a few moments to take deep breaths and remind you of your goals, but it's sort of difficult to eat when you're upside down.