Lessons learned from "Cheating" (On Your Diet)

Anytime I was on a diet and cheated.  I always felt awful – physically, mentally and emotionally.

I especially felt the need to beat myself up if I had had a pretty decent “being good” streak going. 

I’d get pissed at myself for not being stronger… not having enough willpower…for failing …AGAIN…

Now I’m not a big fan of calling off-road excursions “cheats” but lets just go with that because it’s just easier than to try to wax philosophic here.

These cheats would either mean I needed to punish myself with a harder longer workout or by eating less the next day or in some case it just caused me to quit altogether…

But you know what?  After years of doing and believing this BS I finally realized there are lessons to be learned here.  And that’s when I started looking at things differently.

Cheats can provide you really valuable info.

One of the biggest was that once I started feeling really good (for the first time), those cheats made me feel awful physically – the bloating, heartburn, the blood sugar crash – all things that I had been free of for a while came rushing back. 

Once I started feeling good, I didn’t want to give that up. I finally realized though the cheat may have tasted good in the moment it usually wasn’t worth feeling miserable the rest of the day.

But I also realized these cheats are just decisions plain and simple.  These are not things that were forced on me or that just happened.  I decided and I had to own the fallout from that.

That was actually empowering, because I CAN choose to have a doughnut – that’s one of the benefits of being a grown-assed adult, but I also need to accept the consequences good or bad.

Now I take what I felt from previous cheats and that guides me in making future decisions.  I love the taste of doughnuts but when I choose to have one I know my energy is gonna suck the rest of the day and I’m going to have a sugar hangover.

Based on that knowledge I get to decide in that moment whether the doughnut is worth it or not – sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.

Cheats can also give you insight about the particular diet you’re following.  Did you cheat because you were feeling hungry? Deprived?  Maybe this means there’s a piece missing from the diet that is making it harder for you – is it not enough food?  Missing favorite comfort foods? Maybe the food isn’t really satisfying you.

All really good info!

In the end knowing that one cheat, or even a day of cheating doesn’t “ruin” anything.  Your body can handle occasional hits; its what you do the majority of the time that really matters.

If you make a decision to have something that isn’t “allowed” it’s not a failure, it’s a choice.  Own it and just get back on track with your very next meal.  Beating yourself up doesn’t help anything!

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