Are You a Cheater?

The word “cheat” usually conjures up a lot of negative thoughts.  Whether it is cheating on an assignment or in a relationship, it is not a good thing.  But when it comes to being on a diet, the concept of having a “cheat” is one that people start out thinking “what a great idea!”

People wait for their allowable “cheat” times with mouths watering.  They think about all the delicious treats they will indulge themselves in, believing these indulgences at specific times will keep them on a healthy track for their “diet days.”Incorporating “cheating” into a diet plan is very popular in a lot of current diet trends.  The Paleo diet encourages cheating on the weekends or two days a week, while focusing on eating foods our earliest ancestors would eat (animal protein, fruits, vegetables, no gluten and no dairy) the rest of the week.  The new“fast diet” which encourages “intermittent fasting” says you can eat whatever you want five days a week, but can only have 500 calories on two other days.  The idea in both of these examples are the same, by giving people the right to eat “whatever” at certain times, they are more apt to stick to their “diet plan” as opposed to diets that have you watching what you eat everyday.

The problem is, cheating is a negative thing when dieting.  It usually begets more cheating because when you restrict yourself, you want things that you can’t have even more.  It is a big reason why people have difficulty staying on a diet and weight loss and gain can go back and forth.  Not to mention it hurts your metabolism by slowing it down, the last thing you want when you are trying to maintain a healthy weight.  The schedule of your life should not revolve around cheat days.  What if it is Wednesday and you want to eat a dessert when you are out with your friends after a game?  You have the right to eat that dessert even though it was not your “cheat” day.

Eating should be an enjoyable part of life that helps make you more equipped to handle your daily life and the things it can throw at you.  When the way you eat becomes intuitive, you are no longer restricted to a crazy diet with rules.  You will find yourself tuning into your hunger signals and being able to appease them without being unhealthy.

If some of this sounds familiar and you want to know more about intuitive eating, feel free to email me at shelbi@cheer360.com or visit our website at http://www.cheer-360.com.