HA! We all have experienced this, eh? Craving something so bad that it eats at your inner-being, causing you to sneak and eat. Or you break out in a sweat as you watch a television commercial, showing Pizza Hut's stringy, mozzarella cheese gliding across the screen. You may have even burned out your refrigerator light because you're constantly opening and shutting the door, only to find nothing is in there that you truly want/need to eat! This is when you begin to do the one thing that can make or break your strength.
You begin to think it's okay to add a ..."Cheat Day."
Oh yes, we've all done it. So many times, we tell ourselves, "I've been good all week. I deserve to eat whatever I want today!" Don't succumb to this fantasy, this myth. It's not real- you aren't dieting, this is your life!
I don't know about all of you but when I revamped my lifestyle as of January 1st, it wasn't for a resolution. It was because I'd been dealt a hand that wasn't allowing me to win. I kept working at what I wanted (healthy weight-loss & vegan lifestyle) but wasn't determined enough. I kept allowing my husband or friends convince me that a day wasn't so bad and that I deserved to do whatever for that day. The problem was that those days popped up more than the ones where I was supposed to stay on track! I was getting nowhere fast.
So I decided that enough was enough. I paid a visit to my GP, re-evaiuagted my goals and desires and made a plan of action. I started on New Year's Day only because it was so close to the beginning of the year, it seemed fitting. Honestly, had it been the middle of the summer, I'd have done the same.
Anyway, I then put together a Defensive Plan. This plan steps in when the desire to 'cheat' rises. I designed a list of things to do, to eat, or places to go to stay the need to eat something. Just yesterday, I kept wanting to take advantage of the $10 pizza deal- I know you all have seen it. When I was about to ask my son if he wanted pizza for lunch, I caught myself and ran downstairs and jumped on the computer to make sure of my remaining calories. I then snatched him up and ran to QuikTrip and snatched a kid's 12 oz cup of my safety Fat-Free Blackcherry Slushie! A treat that's not bad for either of us. It was so good, cold and filing that the pizza crave vanished!
I had to rearrange my entire food journal to accommodate it but in the long run, it was truly worth it. I was away from the crave and found myself happy. This morning I got up and weighed myself. I was down two pounds! THIS tells me, I did the right thing. Had I eaten that pizza, I could have gone up three! Or more, who knows with my body!
The thing is, there are no true cheat days. Even if you eat a few too many calories or something that was not planned, you can go back on track with the following meal or snack. But when you throw Cheat Days in, you're only fooling yourself. You only push back your goal and keeps you in the habits that you so truly want to be released from. Don't do it.
If you want to treat yourself, go for it but don't allow your entire day to get away! It's not real- there are no Cheat Days!
Be Happy❤Be Healthy!
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