Guest Post: How I Got Back On Track After Falling Off My Diet – By Pro MMA Fighter Celine Haga

It can happen to anybody. It’s happened plenty of times to me, and I’m pretty sure it will happen again.

Falling off the healthy eating track.

It’s very common among fighters; especially after a fight. One day of indulging in a sweet, sugary treat can turn into a week of unhealthy eating. Then, suddenly, all the weight comes flooding back (with a little extra added on too).

When I broke my orbital bone, during a fight in Japan, the surgery left me unable to see or walk for weeks. After coming out of the hospital, I had lost so much strength that I could hardly do a push up. Not being able to train, feeling constant pain, and having to deal with a HUGE hospital bill left me depressed and unmotivated. Which led to bad decision making when it came to food.

 

 

I sought comfort with chocolate and junk food, spiraling into a two month long unhealthy eating spree. I’m not sure what snapped me out of it, but I just couldn’t live like this. Just because one thing in my life was negative, did not mean I had to make everything else just as terrible. I may not be able to control what happened, but I can react and take actions to change it.

It wasn’t easy.

It seemed impossible to get back into shape and I couldn’t help but compare everything I could do, to what I was able to do before. But, what ended up working for me was to focus on the small things, and to change my attention toward what I was doing well.

Instead of comparing what I used to be able to do in a workout from half a year ago, I focused on what I had been able to do in a workout that day. Same with my diet: if I made better decisions today, compared to two days ago, I considered that a big win. Instead of prioritizing the final result, I tried to only focus on the effort I was giving on that day. And whenever I felt the urge to break out of my routine, I called my mom or a friend, or maybe wrote in my journal, and usually my cravings and self discipline got under control.

It didn’t take long until I started to see results, and as soon I had the momentum going, it became easy.

 

Anyone can get back to healthy living, no matter how long they’ve been off the dieting, or healthy living track. It’s more of a way of thinking than anything else. And from my own experience, you can start changing your thinking by following these steps:

 

  1. Get rid of the guilt. As much as we want to, you cannot change what has already been done. You can only focus on what you can change now.
  2. Make small changes. You don’t need to make it more complicated than it needs to be. Add a little more vegetables to your plate next time at dinner. Choose lean cuts of meat when you’re at the supermarket. Instead of drinking a soda while watching Netflix, drink some water. I personally believe that the 80/20 diet is what helps me stay on track. 80% clean/healthy eating and 20% whatever I want. Once you get into the habit, you’ll do it without even thinking.
  3. Find something active that you enjoy. This way, you can look forward to doing it and you can stay more consistent. You can even try doing something with friends! Training with other people can be a great motivator, and is way more fun. You’ll even find yourself giving extra effort.

 

Getting back on track and finding a good workout routine can be hard, and can make you consider giving up, but this is just your mind messing with you. The beginning will be hard at first, but once you start and cultivate your preservice, you’ll impress yourself by proving that a small setback is nothing but an opportunity to become the best version of yourself.

 

Healthy Eating Tip: Here are some snacks I use to help me stay on track, while being able to feed my sugar-cravings.

 

 

About the Author: Celine Haga is a Professional MMA Fighter and a part of fight team Factory X based in Englewood, Colorado. She is currently ranked 5th among the greatest US based female MMA Fighters pound for pound, and has a record of 12-6 since 2012. She has always had a love for sweet things, and Sukrin has allowed her to enjoy all of her favorite desserts and snacks, while still staying on weight. Sukrin USA is happy to sponsor such an incredibly strong athlete, and offer her support on her amazing journey.

 

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