Cheating

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  • eveunderground
    eveunderground Posts: 236 Member
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    I don't believe in "cheating" - I think a normal diet* includes some "indulgences" or whatever you want to call it. Very few people would have the willpower to eat perfect all of the time. I PLAN some treats/indulgences/super yummy goodness into my food plans on a regular basis.

    The best thing you can do for yourself, though, is try to find healthier, satisfying treats that you can indulge with, instead of the sugar-laden, unhealthy foods like traditional cookies/cake/soda/etc. For example - I learned to make my own version of nutella as an occasional treat (spread on crackers/bananas/whatever), I also made brownies that had black beans instead of flour (it was crazy good!), and I made soft-serve bananas - which is basically bananas in the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. I eat stuff like this (omemade, all natural goodness!) and don't even miss candy/baked goods and other stuff that is loaded with processed sugars, salt and other stuff I don't want in my body.

    Edited to add: You can apply the above to the foods you talked about too - homemade pizza, burgers, etc. are so much healthier and more satisfying (in my experience) than fast-food/pre-made ones!

    *I use diet to mean what you eat, not some crazy starvation short-term plan or anything like that... lol
    I 100% agree with this.
  • raven58
    raven58 Posts: 9
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    Interesting question. I decided this isn't a "DIET", it is a lifestyle change for me, my health, my apperance...So, it isn't cheating, really. I make informed decisions. My husband and I went to Taco Bell last weekend, I love soft tacos, but the crunchy ones are fewer calories. So, I got two crunchy tacos and felt like I got a treat and still kept within my calories for the day (used to be two soft tacos and nacho supreme, which is why I'm making a lifestyle change). I was craving a particular treat when I first started, but it was a lot of calories so I kept putting it off. Now, I don't crave it anymore. If I really want it, I can plan my exercise to off set the difference.

    You are doing this for you, so the only one you are cheating on is...You! If you feel it is that important, go for it. But, log it so when you weigh in and don't see what you want, you can see why. Keeping the food diary has changed my whole perspective and I LOVE that my clothes are starting to feel loose, instead of wondering if the seams will hold when I sneeze.

    Good luck!
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    Since we're talking about "cheating" and whatnot - there's one more thought I had:

    Someone may have already said this - but I think a very important thing is to log EVERYTHING - even on "cheat" days if you choose to look at it like that. Allowing yourself a special treat (or a cheat day, or whatever) doesn't mean that you shouldn't be accountable for what you are eating. You may just find that you realize after logging everything on a few of these days, you find out that it's just not worth it to you anymore, or you'll work to find better ways to fit in reasonable treats/indulgences that don't cause your sodium/fat/sugar/whatever to go sky-high.

    A few people mentioned they don't log anything on their cheat days (either on this thread or another one), and I think that's a VERY bad idea. I know that personally, that's how I got to where I did with my weight - I figured an occasional day or two here or there wouldn't hurt. I just wasn't aware of what I was eating. Awareness of what we are eating is KEY to making progress and changing habits.
  • JoyceJoanne
    JoyceJoanne Posts: 760 Member
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    Since we're talking about "cheating" and whatnot - there's one more thought I had:

    Someone may have already said this - but I think a very important thing is to log EVERYTHING - even on "cheat" days if you choose to look at it like that. Allowing yourself a special treat (or a cheat day, or whatever) doesn't mean that you shouldn't be accountable for what you are eating. You may just find that you realize after logging everything on a few of these days, you find out that it's just not worth it to you anymore, or you'll work to find better ways to fit in reasonable treats/indulgences that don't cause your sodium/fat/sugar/whatever to go sky-high.

    A few people mentioned they don't log anything on their cheat days (either on this thread or another one), and I think that's a VERY bad idea. I know that personally, that's how I got to where I did with my weight - I figured an occasional day or two here or there wouldn't hurt. I just wasn't aware of what I was eating. Awareness of what we are eating is KEY to making progress and changing habits.

    Trenton, I TOTALLY agree!! I do have 'cheat' days where I don't make the healthiest choices, but I DO LOG EVERYTHING!!
    It puts my 'cravings' into perspective. Was that big mac, fries and m&m Mcflurry REALLY worth 1750 cals and 79g of FAT??!! (Yes, check the website [http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/nutritionfacts.pdf] , and NO I don't eat this!) In most cases, I think probably not.
    If you are one of those people that can go without cheat day, I applaud you, I can not. At least not now.

    I've been here for three weeks and I am down 10lbs. I have made some very good choices and a handful of not so good choices. I believe that the accountability has kept me in check.

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