NO SUCH THING AS CHEATING

splashwags

Rock on... I need to keep reminding myself of this,,,,

Paccie

I totally agree.

usmcpatience

I agree....THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS CHEATING.....I eat what I want, when I want...just in smaller portions. I have to be happy with my life, and I love to eat!!!! Giving up the things I love is not an option.....So, not eating what I want is not an option. Just yesterday, I went to Brusters and got a single serving of cake batter ice cream on a sugar cone. It was the best thing I had yesterday, and I went to the gym and worked it, plus about 300 more calories off. Today, it was potato chips. I have lost 35 pounds by not cheating, but by being a responsible eater!!!!

I am now in love with your "responsible eater" phrase! Perfect!!!

qtwells82

Awesome post!:drinker:

Paccie

Hear, hear! This is exactly the right attitude! We are in this for the rest of our lives, kids. No one, and I mean no one, can survive on plain chicken breast, celery and water every day. Life is meant to be lived and for most of us, that means celebrations will come along and good (as in tasty, fattening and maybe even "unhealthy") foods will be served along with the joy and laughter of spending time with our family and friends. You don't have to deprive yourself every single day of your life. The next day, after you've had a good time, you just go right back to eating the way you do every other day, without guilt and without remorse because you HAD A GOOD TIME. And really, that's what life should be all about.

::steps down off her soap box::

Amen Thank you!

MisMolly

The other day I had some whole wheat pancakes and posted a topic about it. I had one person respond "oh i wish I could eat those".. UM YES YOU CAN! On that day, I had 3 pancakes, hashbrowns and turkey bacon and was still under my calorie intake. So, if you want to have something like pizza, ice cream, etc..do it ONCE in a while or else you will crave it all the time and never stick to your diet.

Were your pancakes from a mix? I tried to Fiber One ones the other day (followed the box directions to just add water) and they tasted like light fluffy dirt. I would love to find something better that I don't need to doctor up with eggs and sugar.

suzooz

Great post!

I'm not denying myself, either -- just being careful and more cognizant of the choices I make. Yesterday, I went through Wendys for lunch. But instead of buying the Single with Cheese and fries, I had a Jr. Cheeseburger and a side salad. Still gave me the taste, but wasn't quite as bad as what I used to be.

In the car, I noticed that the cheeseburger didn't taste as yummy as I remembered. (anyone else out there notice this? )

The other good thing is that I kicked up my workout a notch. I had never burned more than 200 calories -- last night I went for broke and hit 300. So I "earned " that cheeseburger (and slept like a log!)

Still going to have ice cream -- once in a while.

Fat2FitChick

I agree!

chezmama

I agree wholeheartedly! I eat what I want and I figure it into my calories. It is the only approach I feel I can live with. I will try to make healthier choices, but if I am going to live this I am not going to deny myself. I am learning a lot on MFP and making changes I never thought I would. I am keeping my food diaries private for now because I don't want to have to explain my choices. That may change in time, but not yet.

yanicka

totally agree with you. naturally thin people do eat bad food too....they just do not eat a ton of it or very often. Eat responsably LOL

kgage1011

Yes Ma'am! You've done so great so far! You must be doing something right!!!

kaveril422

Thanks! I agree with you. Since I started counting my calories, I have started making healthier choices so that I can use my calories wisely, but at the same time, I eat what I want. I just make sure I stay within my calories. I don't have "Cheat days." I don't think of it like that anyway. I may have days when I eat pizza instead of baked chicken and a salad, but I don't do it everyday, because my body just doesn't like that stuff like it used to, but I eat an ice cream sandwich everyday, and I still lose lbs. I just don't do that overeating thing I used to do. Moderation has been the key to MY success, because I tried dieting and not eating all the stuff that I loved, and that never worked in my favor, but this...I love this, and I have no problem sticking to it, cause the scale still has lower numbers on it and I can still enjoy what I'm doing. I also have a public diary, because I'm not ashamed of anything that I eat. I don't feel guilty. If I go over on something like sodium or fat, I make a mental note that I need to watch that, and check it the next day.

6heatherb6

I love what you are saying!! I've been beating myself up for years and years and years -

Hyster1

I hear ya. And agree with ya. It :embarassed: can't be all or nothing all of the time, or I could not do this.

6heatherb6

I completely agree!! Deprivation is no motivation!!

I love it!! I've been depriving myself and then I binge binge binge...what is wrong with my head!!

6heatherb6

I completely agree!! Deprivation is no motivation!!

I love it!! I've been depriving myself and then I binge binge binge...what is wrong with my head!!

rklein88

I agree. My boyfriend said we couldn't buy TGI Friday's bacon cheddar potato skins (the chips). I said we could, and that we need to be able to eat snacks occasionally or we will end up binging big time. We bought them and ate them all (a small bag with 5 servings). Not our best choice, but it left us both happy, and we didnt overeat at lunch or the rest of the day, and we worked out for an hour.

Someone on here said "if you're not going to do it for the rest of you life, why are you doing it now?" I agree completely. This is not a diet, but a lifestyle change. Everything in moderation is the happiest way to go

kelly6485

I LOVE THIS POST!!!!

I have at least one thing or meal every day that SOMEONE isn't happy about, or personally wouldn't eat, but at the same time, I have lost 23# in 2 months, and I feel great!!!!! If I was told to cut out ALL "bad foods" I would never be able to do it!!

monkeybuttsmommy

I posted this same topic a while back, but I, EVERYDAY, see people state that they had ice cream and thus were "bad" or that they were "cheating." I firmly believe in this mindset, and I hope everyone can see this someday...
Thus, I'm posting this again for more to see. Even if I can help ONE person to stop obsessing over the fact that they "cheated," I think it'll be worth it. ....


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.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!! I refuse to be punitive for having cravings and dealing with those craving by satiating them with the food that I crave! As long as I am not eating an entire family pack of chips and only eating ONE SERVING SIZE and I AM NOT going over my calories then its ok! That is how HEALTHY people eat! IN MODERATION! Thats the key I think most people are missing! So thank you for posting this! Your absolutely right! And if people deny themselves what they crave they WILL binge!

maygans

Someone on here said "if you're not going to do it for the rest of you life, why are you doing it now?" I agree completely. This is not a diet, but a lifestyle change. Everything in moderation is the happiest way to go

I like this. Perhaps that's why people yo-yo so much? I'm trying to view this as an overhaul just to make better choices and become more active in my life (and it's worked so far for me...I've lost 20+ lbs this year, 3.5 while using the app) rather than as a DIET. I'm able to lose weight, gain better fitness levels (and smaller clothing sizes!) all by just consuming in moderation, slowly increasing physical activity and being more aware of my food choices.

Also hey...I'm an adult. If I want to eat a banana with peanut butter and chocolate pudding at 1:30 in the morning or two portions of something at dinner then that's my prerogative, I don't need people questioning my food choices. I know what I'm eating all day, every day, and that's really all I care about. Unsupportive and unhelpful people need to go away!

fmktjod

I love that you wrote about this. I agree with you and many of the other replies. Balance is key. For me, I have a dynamic we'll call the tyrant and the rebell. They tyrnat says you should, you must, you have to, if you don't..., you're bad, you're not enough and on and on. As a result the rebell says screw you! And does just the thing the tyrant says not to. Taking myself out of this whole dynamic and being gentle with myself, forgiving and loving is the ONLY way I've ever made true lasting progress. Rigidity always leads to backlash for me.

Plus - I suggest what others say, says more about them and their paridigm than it says about you. I'm guessing you already know this.

Hope you enjoyed the pizza! Keep up the good work.

Pearcecat

Brilliant post!!. I totally agree with you. The only person that I have to explain my choices to is ME. I really believe that the more you deny yourself, the stronger your cravings become. Well done everyone on your weight loss so far and keep enjoying the journey!

36jessica

So very well said! I'm right there with you. Thanks for the post.