Day Seven: Cheating

Chocolate, wine, cheese, coffee...four of the reasons I like Europe. I love the rich, sweet taste of good chocolate, wine is so fine, there's nothing like a perky cup of coffee, and where do I even begin with cheese? When I first started eating healthy, I looked forward to my cheat meals all week.
Today is day seven, which means that we are overdue for a cheat meal. So, how do we cheat?


Sugar is addictive. Many people are unable to balance sugar into their daily intake without going overboard. I fall into that category. I have always been envious of people who can do this. If you lack self-control like me, you may have a sugar addiction. I will go into the addictive properties of the substance next week, but for now we must learn how to cheat.


The best advice I've been given as a sugar addict is to eat clean, healthy meals excluding alcohol or processed sugar for 5 days straight. This gets rid of all refined sugar in your system & levels out your blood sugar. Doing this curbs your sugar cravings substantially. Then, have two cheat meals (I do Fri/Sat dinners or Sat/Sun dinners...I adjust my cheat meals for holidays & special occasions). This could be a movie with popcorn, soda, & candy. This could be a date night at a steak house with a baked potato, wine, & dessert. This could be enchiladas with margaritas or a BBQ cookout with chips, dip, burgers & hard lemonade....you choose, mix it up. Keep your portion sizes under control. You will feel the difference in the way your body feels when you eat clean versus when you cheat. After my cheat meals, I long to eat clean again because I feel so much better when I do.


So, what do you do when you're at the office and someone brings in a chocolate cake that is calling your name...or you get asked out on an impromptu pizza & beer date? You have a choice. You can choose to forego one of your cheat meals and indulge. However, if you choose to do this you MUST forego a cheat meal. Allowing yourself only two cheat meals weekly keeps you feeling human while still losing weight. This also forces you to make a choice & gives you the option of being either rigid or flexible without feeling deprived.


Do: Plan your 2 cheat meals & enjoy them. Make note in your food journal the difference in your the way your body feels after your cheat meals versus how it feels when you eat clean. Pay special attention to any headaches, sluggishness, sleeplessness, acid reflux, or sugar rushes you might get.