After the holiday indulgent feasts, sugary drinks and alcohol, swinging to the extremes - like fasting or crash dieting - might seem like the fastest way to reset.
But, nutrition coach Maryanne Wanza argues otherwise. "The secret to getting back on track isn't in punishment or perfection but in progress," she says. Her advice? Avoid overcompensating.
What you want to do is pick something that allows you to move towards the direction that you desire. Your starting point needs to be something that is neither too easy or difficult. If it is the latter, it will discourage you and if it is easy, you won't get started.
"This could be just something as simple as, having standard meals; breakfast, lunch and dinner instead of cakes, cookies and snacks. And then once that is established, then you think, okay, so I need to be drinking at least a litre of water every day. Then you make it a litre, and 0.1, then 0.2, then 0.3. So, you're progressing over time," she says.
To avoid midnight snacking or eating junk throughout the day, Ms Wanza says, ensure your breakfast, lunch and dinner contain some form of carbohydrates.
She says, "If it is whole grain, even better. Add a protein and vegetables as they naturally do not contain much calories but have a lot of fibre which is more filling and gives you lots of micronutrients for minerals and vitamins."
If you get a sweet craving, Ms Wanza says you can choose a fruit instead of sugary snacks. "Fruit is natural sugar, mostly fructose and it is sweeter than the amount of sugar that it actually contains."
However, if you still want to have sugary things, Ms Wanza says you can find ways to improve on the nutritional content.
"For example, if you want to have a cookie, it can sound very ridiculous, but something as simple as just having a glass of milk. That can ensure the difference between three cookies versus one cookie and a glass of milk. That glass of milk gives you a bit of protein that is calcium and helps to reduce the sugariness as well," she shares.
What is the place of sleep in resetting after holidays?
"On average, it is advisable to wait at least two hours after eating before going to bed, but not as long as six hours."
Reward yourself with junk after a month of gym?
Additionally, as you get back on the grind, Ms Wanza says you need to reward yourself. However, the reward should be something that is for the journey and not against it.
"For example, instead of rewarding yourself a pizza or junk for going to the gym for a whole month, buy a new pair of shoes, get a better shoe number, a trainer, or pay for a massage."
Lastly, the proverbial reset button can be any time of the day, month, or year. Ms Wanza says, you should not wait for arbitrary new beginning, new month, new Monday, new year to start. "It could be any day including a random Wednesday in May at 5pm."