Cheating Myself?: I Just Had to Cheat on my Clean Eating Live-It
For my first year or two of eating clean, I never really even liked to take a cheat day – or day off from clean eating. Often when I did, I would feel ill because my body no longer processes crappy food the way it did when I ate that way all the time. My body is now used to good food – the right fuel to power my Tesla of a body. (I would have said Ferrari, but I’m Getting A Tesla).
Now that my body is used to eating mostly good foods, I do take a cheat day, cheat meal and/or a cheat snack now and again. Some people think it’s ok to take a cheat day or cheat meal once every week, but that is a bit too often for me. If I keep it to every 10 days or so (sometimes more often, sometimes less often).
Each person will find their own personal schedule that works for them – or sometimes against them. Just by allowing yourself one cheat meal, you are opening yourself up to the thought that it is okay to cheat … This is okay for some people, but often clean eaters can fall right back into the SAD (Standard American Diet). Some can find all their previous hard work and dedication to training and eating clean was taken away by a fork and set of overactive chompers. I don’t want that for me or you.
Despite my constant fear of returning to a SAD, I do cheat every so often. When I do, I usually over-do. Last night was no exception.
Stacia, Makaya and I were planning to go to my parent’s place in Seattle so they could take us to dinner. Earlier last week, Mom said we’d be going to pizza, so I planned my week’s eating around a cheat meal of pizza. (I really LOVE pizza and could probably actually survive on pizza and beer alone – actually I did survive on pizza and beer for a couple of years in college). I was really looking forward to eating pizza, which is now a rare treat for me.
We got to their place and start walking towards where all the restaurants are (they live in a pretty cool part of Seattle named Green Lake). Then Jim pointed across the street and said ‘that’s where we’re going’. Apparently they changed their minds about pizza and wanted to try a new place that was built right where there formerly was a Baskin and Robbins ice cream shop. We used to visit there A LOT when my daughter was still a baby and before I started eating clean.
This new place is called The Shelter Lounge and has another location in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle too. When my mom first said we’re going to The Shelter, I thought she was going to take us to feed the homeless or something (which is always a good thing to do). Before we went it, she said they hadn’t been there before, but that it was really noisy (the noise from inside could easily be heard from the sidewalk).
The Shelter Green Lake was really hoping and very busy. It seemed like a real nice design of the building, but with the glass roof on the patio, it made the entire place feel much like an oven. The design didn’t do much to quell the din of the diners / partiers either – it really seemed to amplify it. Between the heat and the noise, it wasn’t a great experience – although most seemed to like the food alright. Looking back though, I was the only one to clean my plate – and I had a spinach salad with a chicken breast.
I had actually dodged a cheat meal! Then I had to sit through a dessert detour for Fro-Yo …. I was actually surprised that Stacia abstained from getting the ‘healthy’ frozen yogurt … After Jim kept saying how healthy it was, I had to do some research. Here are 5 Myths About Frozen Yogurt.
I had now dodged a cheat meal and a cheat dessert! Was feeling pretty good about myself, but then realized that I was really looking forward to cheating on my clean eating live-it. I just HAD to do it. Just HAD to.
I had already eaten dinner, so pizza wasn’t in my near future. But I did owe it to myself a good opportunity to cheat. So instead of driving straight home, my car took us directly to the grocery store where I bought Makaya’s favorite ice cream AND Stacia’s favorite oatmeal raisin cookies AND chocolate whip topping to put on top of it all with the chocolate syrup we already had in the fridge.
We sped home, where I promptly ate not just one, but two bowls of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream with oatmeal raisin cookies, chocolate whipped cream and chocolate syrup on top. I had the cheat that I wanted – the cheat that I needed. It didn’t make me feel any better – in fact it made me feel like CRAP.
I had my cheat last night and I’m paying the price today and tomorrow and the next day I’m sure. I did have to start my workout this morning with 60 minutes of hard cardio – and feel like I should probably go back for some more tonight.
It’s okay to cheat on a clean eating live-it once in awhile. In fact eating a cheat meal can potentially help. For cheating can help reignite their metabolism which can adjust to good foods of the Live-It and get a little lazy and slow down.
If you’re going to cheat on your Live-It, I suggest going at it in moderation. You definitely don’t have to over-do it like I did. A couple cookies or a small, single bowl of ice cream would have been more than enough.
The question for the day is: Do YOU cheat on YOUR Live-It? If so, how and how often. We all want to know, so please don’t be afraid to dish on yourself!