I just watched an episode of "I used to be fat". The kid was 18 years old and weighed 315 lbs. After 110 days he weighed 198 lbs! The trainer said "I just trained a kid to lose 117 lbs in 110 days with ONLY a clean diet and hard work. The only reason it worked it because he didn't know it wasn't possible". That's absolutely true! That kid committed to his weight loss. The trainer had to talk to his younger brothers. They were teasing him and eating junk food in front of him. This is one thing I could relate to. I HATED when I would make good healthy choices only to hear "You HAVE to splurge every now and then." "You can't eat like that your whole life, so when you "go off" your diet, you'll gain it all back". "That's not realistic, you can't eat like that all the time". "You have to have a "cheat day"." So with that said, here are my thoughts:
Diet....NO. LIFESTYLE CHANGES..........YES. Does that mean you can't ever have a piece of cake again? NO. Does that mean if you splurge one day, that's the end? NO. But if you do have a "cheat day" let's say every Saturday....... You wake up and have a big bowl of cereal, ice cream or pie for snack, pizza at lunch, beer with your dinner of barbque, potato salad, cole slaw with bread and baked beans. Then since you ate so bad all day, for snack that night you eat a bag of chips...........you can right since you ate clean all week right? You've EARNED it, so go ahead right? NO NO NO NO NO. Then on Sunday if you DID eat all that, you probably had a PRETTY LARGE weight gain................which sends you into that "diet depression" and you give up...............yep you know it's happened before, this "diet" is no different. Cheating on your diet, cheats you and you only. I once didn't cheat on my diet for 2 months. I went to a going away party and had fried chicken, a cookie, cake, soda, etc. I gained like 3 pounds!!!! I was super mad at myself, but I remembered that one day in 2 months wasn't the end of the world. So the next day I got with it and exercised really hard and ate especially clean! I was in maintenance at that time, so I didn't have to be extra good at eating, but since I had the gain I did anyway. I lost it in a few days without a problem. THEN I was also pregnant and had just found out the same day as the party! I spent 9 months on my diet. How? Because it wasn't/isn't a diet. I made healthy choices instead of poor choices and I got off my butt and exercised. I spent 5 1/2 months losing 36 pounds, got pregnant, then spent 9 months GAINING the same EXACT 36 pounds back, BUT I was growing a human being in my body! I didn't intend on it taking 11 months to lose that 36 pounds again. I figured 3 months tops. The first 6 months, I continued my healthy choices and some weight (about 16 pounds) came off. After our family reunion, I decided it was time to get back to work. I lost 5 pounds the first month, but the heat this summer was SO bad I couldn't get out and walk every day. Being a new mom and having a baby with all this baby stuff everywhere, I couldn't do my pilates. I pretty much lost weight with my food choices, not exercise. The next 3 months I got serious about my eating and lost 10 more pounds! I am finally back to my pre-pregnancy weight PLUS some! I am still not exercising and if I was............this would have happened sooner AND I'd be more toned! NONE of my clothes fit again! Soon I'll take myself shopping, but I am waiting at least another month. I want to see how far I can take this! We are moving soon and I'll have my room set up hopefully to do my pilates. We are moving to the neighborhood that I already walk in during my regular path!
Let's address "cheat days". This is what I do"
Hubby says "Let's do eat Cheddar's for dinner". That means margaritas.....OR Chicken strips (not both). We have an understood agreement in our house: If we are going to eat out, if must be announced early (if possible) so WE (yes he eats healthy also) can make good choices all day to compensate for the terrible dinner! So for breakfast we have coffee, 1 scrambled egg for me (2 for him), 1 piece of whole wheat toast (no peanut butter today since eating out) with sugar free preserves. For lunch, tuna fish made with egg whites, onions, light mayo, relish, and pickle juice on whole wheat toast (load up on the tuna fish instead of having 2 sandwiches!). NO SNACKS today.
At dinner I have 3 choices really:
1) Healthiest meal I can find there: Key West Chicken and Shrimp with NO bourbon sauce or seasoned rice, side of broccoli double steamed, and a salad with fat free ranch on the side, no croutons, and no croissant. Water with lemon (to counteract the sodium) to drink and a margarita with NO SALT! This is the best choice.
2) 2nd choice (but higher in sodium which will result in water weight retention more than likely): Pick 3 for lunch: since I am on maintenance I can choose Potato soup, 1/2 sandwich, salad with no croissant, ranch on the side, and no croutons. I get my water with lemon (EVERY meal I eat, especially when eating out) and a margarita with NO SALT.
3) Chicken strips, double steamed broccoli, and salad with no croutons or croissant with ranch on the side. Water with lemon and a margarita with NO SALT.
That's how I "cheat". When I can prepare for a bad meal or cheat time, I have to make sure that the rest of the day I eat EXTRA clean! Also, If we have pasta or a bad meal, we TRY to have it at lunch if at all possible, instead of at night when I might be tempted to go home and lay down and take a nap!
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