No Such Thing as Cheating

usmcpatience

So, earlier today I posted a status stating that I was going to have some takeout pizza for supper... I made the comment that I had plenty of calories left, and I would probably only eat a couple of pieces anyway.
I got some super supportive comments about it!
I also had some people post their concerns (for instance...eating unhealthy food all of a sudden could upset my stomach...which is true).
I also had people say that they've BANNED pizza or that I was only ALLOWED to have two slices max.

So, I posted this as a comment on that status. However, I feel I said some fairly important things in here. I think everyone should take a second to read it...


First of all...I've gone "off" my diet before, and, yes...sometimes it upsets my stomach. (Chinese food is the worst!) By the same token, I have yet to totally binge on anything.I've been doing MFP for over 50 days and I've only ever gone over my calorie goal ONCE. I'll probably only end up having a couple of slices because I'll be very full after that.

Secondly, I don't believe in "cheating" or "not cheating." This is MY life. I'll eat what I want, when I want. I'm choosing to eat better (and less), but I will NOT deprive myself of anything. If I started depriving myself...I'd never have stuck with the diet as long as I have. Life is too short to deprive yourself...ask my brother.

Thirdly, I am in no major hurry to lose the weight I'd like to lose. I'm not doing this diet/exercise program for a quick-fix...I'm doing this for ME! I want to, as a general rule of thumb, treat my body better. If it only takes me a year to lose the 40 or 50 pounds I'd like to lose...HECK YEAH! However, if it takes me three years...I'm not going to sit in a corner and mope. I know that I've made the choice to better my body, and I have made great strides towards a better me.

anubis609

*UP TOP!*

Do what you want, because nobody else is gonna do it for you. I'm with it. I believe it. Hell, I'm doin' it already.

lemanda

Im with you on that. I like many others want to lose, but really, I dont have a specific time line. I already feel good about dressing for summer, and know that if I keep doing what I have been doing, I will get to where I want to be by then, and that includes a few treats here and there. As long you you are making the healthy choices 99% of the time, the 1% where you dont is not going to cause you copious amounts of weight gain. It might set you back a day, but oh well. Enjoy life I say, but know when to say no.

Beebs33

Love your post! I completely agree! I have not "cheated" much as they call it but if I want something I have had it..in moderation. I wanted a little chocolate so instead of eating the whole Reese's Valentine heart like I normally would I cut it in two and the one half made me feel good! I got what I wanted but didn't over indulge.

Good for you!!! You can deprive your body of everything you love or you will eventually fall off for good. That's why so many people have failed. You do have to eat what you like...even if unhealthy. Everything in moderation.

jencoz04

If you deprive yourself, you are only more likely to fail. Enjoy the pizza!!

udallmom101

AMEN!!! We all are human! We are not perfect. I have noticed when I start depriving myself I want it more and will do anything for it. It is important to remain true to who you are, what you need, what you want. You are doing great I am sure.

LadyKT

Awesome mindset!! I feel that "dieting" is too restrictive and "living" is much better!! However, "living" means living HEALTHY, in moderation and eating well-balanced.

LBATL

Good for you! I'm right there with you. I hate it when people question me about my "diet" - hellllloooo I'm not on a frickin' diet. I'm making healthier choices across all aspects of my life including food. I am of the belief that you can eat what you want when you want in moderation. I follow how my body is feeling and if I'm craving something "bad" I'm going to go ahead and have a little bit of it. I am tired of people thinking you have to be a complete restricter and banish foods in order to lose weight. That sort of mentality is how you end up yo-yo dieting. Do what works for you. What works for me is NOT logging every calorie I put in my mouth. What does work is an overall awareness of what I eat and how it makes me feel physically, mentally and emotionally.

Have your pizza. Enjoy it!

bunnysone

good on you!

If you "cheat" the only person you cheat is you. While we as the MFP community are here to support and encourage you we cant make the changes for you, and we cant control what you do. You know what to do as far as improving your health and eating right, but if you suddenly ban a food then amazingly it is all you crave. Never ban a food, just control what you eat of it Good luck and I am sure you will have a successful journey

trudy45

go you!! totally agree with ya x

kms1981

Love it! I say I am just living my life. I am not cheating...I am doing what I want, only know I have the information on what I am doing!

brancakes

Good for you! I have the exact same outlook on it! I've never eaten over my calories in 62 days! Just have to make room for the stuff you want, rather not just not eat it at all!! good luck on your loss sounds like you'll do wonderful!

Jaccilatt5

Hell Yea!! I feel the same way...I for the most part eat well and work out every day. So if I decide to indulge....Im allowed! I say so!
"No one can make you feel inferior without your concent " Eleanor Roosevelt

sadiddy_barbiee

thats a great attitude and im with you on not depriving yourself..as long as you know you need to burn the calories off then it should't be a problem ..way to go !

ajo_evans

You are awesome!! That is the truest thing I have heard in awhile. This is a lifestyle change, not a diet. If I could not eat pizza for the rest of my life i would die. be true to yourself and the rest will just fall into place!

unckat09

I share a similar point of view. I know for a fact that I will self destruct if I cut my favorite food (sushi) out of my life. So, I'm just not going to do it. However, I do need to be more modest in my consumption, so that has been my focus for the past month or so. When I first started MFP, I was going over my calories like crazy, but I have slowly learned how to portion my food properly. AND, I'm eating much much cleaner.


This isn't a diet, it is a way of life!! Thanks for your post. I thought I was the only one :flowerforyou:

FearAnLoathing

Good for you its your body you have to live in it,no one else

kimmerroze

A world without pizza and chocolate would be HELL! sooooo Indulge I say Indulge! I am right there with you. There is no sense in living if you deny yourself simply joys in life.

DianaPowerUp

I agree. Life is to be enjoyed, not just always punishing yourself or restricting yourself b/c you're "on a diet". I too, occassionally eat foods that are "not on the approved list", but I figure, as long as it's within my calories (or even sometimes when it goes over), if MOST of the time I'm really good, then I deserve a treat once in a while too, dammit!

lloydrt

I read articles like this one I am posting, and it helps me decide real quick about the choice Ill be making for the day when it comes to the overall health of my body........Im over 50 and this definitely caught my eye........I used to have a blood sugar reading of 110, since my weight loss, its 89..........whew


heres the article from Fox News......

"Diabetes Patients Over 50 Die 6 Years Sooner, Study Says

Diabetes patients who are 50 and older are more likely to die six years sooner than someone not suffering from the disease, a new study shows.

Research from a large international effort suggests the deaths of diabetics are not only from heart attacks and strokes, but from a variety of other ailments, including breast cancer and pneumonia"

It's quite a wide sweep of conditions," said Dr. John Danesh of Cambridge University in Britain, who led the team of researchers. While most people think of heart problems, diabetes surprisingly "appears to be associated with a much broader range of health implications than previously suspected."

Putting the six years lost in context, he said, long-term smoking shortens life by 10 years.
The analysis used pooled medical information for 820,900 people from nearly 100 studies done mostly in Europe and North America. The results are published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.

Diabetes, the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S., affects about 26 million Americans, or 8 percent, including 7 million who haven't been diagnosed. Most in the study were thought to have the most common kind — Type 2 — which occurs when the body makes too little insulin or cannot use what it does make to regulate blood sugar.



heres the rest of the article.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/03/03/diabetes-patients-50-die-6-years-sooner-study-says/


ooops,l am so sorry, I meant to post this under General Diet and Weight Loss......so sorry to the O.P.............LLoyd

fasttrack27

You preach it girl! Good for you!! I agree totally. I enjoy food - all kinds of food - and as long as I'm fit, in shape, perfect bloodwork and pulse (etc) then within moderation I'm gonna eat what gives me enjoyment in life.

sweetie89207

preach it sister!!!

i completely agree with u...i eat what i want! but then again i dont agree with most of these ppl on here who say they completely took fast food out of their diet and wont eat anything bad...im like- uh im human and the only way im staying on this diet/ life=style change is if i can have a little bit of everything...i dont deprive myself of anything i just pay a lot more attention to how much of it i eat and how often...and it has worked well ever since i started...

like was said earlier- i think if u dont allow urself to eat at least a little bit of something you love- ur gonna hate weight loss and hate urself and just not be happy...so if i want a big slice of 500 calorie pizza thats full of fat- IM GONNA DO IT!!!! i just wont do it often...and thats what makes me happy...i suppose thats all that matters is that what u are doing makes u happy! and helps u lose the weight in the amount of time u want to

great topic/ post!

eyt2003

Girl you tell them, I believe you do what is best for your lifestyle and your diet. I feel that same way I tried to follow everybody else's diet instead of making it my own and I would always fall off the wagon, but now that I am doing it my way I am doing well because every now and then I will have a gulity pleasure. I agree with you send me all the supportive messages but don't bash me for doing my diet MY WAY. We are on MFP for support, none of us are fitness gurus, SMEs, etc.

jpeebs88

Go Sam!
I had those kind of comments too when I put up a post about healthy(er) fast food options. I had people go all preacher on me about how they haven't ate fast food in years and that it was bad for me and bad for my health and all sorts of random stuff on how they were better than me. Yeah. Whatever. I'm happy and I've lost a lot of weight so far. So I'll do what I want, and what makes sense for me!

aschultz9

I eat what I want to..the only person I'm "cheating" at the end of the day is me if my choices are bad. I'm over on calories every single day because I would starve if I only ate the calories MFP gives me. (I've tried, and I'm WAY too hungry). I've lost 13 pounds in about 8 weeks. Enjoy your pizza!!

madamelaporte

I agree, treats are a good thing from time to time if you dont allow yourself a little treat I find you can go wildly off your diet because your body starts to crave the things you are fighting against eating. My husband brings home cakes from work once every week and a half - 2 weeks and I used to have a slice or a whole muffin/cupcake instead now I just have a couple of bites and my craving has gone - I physically couldnt eat more than that otherwise Id start feeling sick!!

Enjoy your pizza

Aylilth

Exactly!!!

What would be the point of going through life without eating a bit of pizza of cake every now and then??

Moderation is the key.

Enjoy that pizza!!!

ItsTerriC

I couldn't agree more. That's exactly how I am doing this. I'm not going to ever say I'll never eat this food or that food again. That would be setting myself up for failure. I will eat better, healthier foods every day. I will drink my water. I will continue to exercise. But, if I want to take my grandkids for pizza or have a slice of their birthday cake, I'm going to do it. Not every day, and I'll try to "budget' for it whenever possible. Life isn't about deprivation, it's about celebration!

Aitenev

What a healthy, balanced attitude! I completely agree with you. This is a lifestyle and it's not realistic to think that I can completely do without all the "bad" stuff for the rest of my life. It's a matter of balance and moderation. Good for you!

BrownEyedG1rl

I TOTALLY agree with you! I eat healthy most of the time and will allow myself to eat unhealthy but yummy things sometimes. If I didn't do that, I would never be able to stick with this. So far it's working for me! Enjoy your pizza!!

AmberLiscous

I don't feel that there is anything wrong with having some pizza...me and my family have schwan's pizza almost every friday...it doesn't send me over my calorie goal and it is really good and i still lose weight every week....Keep doing what you are doing and don't worry about what others want to criticize about...do this for you...not for them!!! GOOD LUCK and enjoy your pizza!!!!