Strategic Cheating .....
Posted by Fitnut on Thursday, November 11, 2010
Strategic cheating which refers to periodically "going off" the diet and allowing yourself to eat foods that typically are not thought as "diet friendly" foods (pizzas, ice cream, fries, etc). It's actually not cheating per se because it's part of the plan, but we stick with that word because people identify with it and they "get it" immediately when they hear something like "cheat day" or "cheat meal" or "Cheat Your Way Thin". I hate the term "dieting" or "diet" because in a sense it brings the thought to mind that you are depriving yourself of something that brings to mind .... delectable, mouth watering and craving .... and in essence that is not what being healthy, staying healthy and having a fit gorgeous body that makes you .... fall in love with yourself is about.
The term cheating fits perfectly in the sense that you are "cheating" the DIET. Dieting sucks, and by having days in which you eat what you want, you actually cheat "dieting" out of the opportunity to destroy your metabolism, plateau your fat loss, and all the negative adaptations and consequences that 99.9% of calorie restrictive nutrition programs pose.
Strategic cheating absolutely increases adherence across the board, it makes "dieting", a concept which generally demands that people forgo their favorite foods for months and months at a time actually liveable, and more important Enjoyable. For most people day 1 of a diet is the worse day of their life. It's depressing. " No pizza,for like, 3 months while I attempt to lose this fat." Anyone who thinks that's actually going to happen is completely deluded and this is exactly why 99% of people fail with restricted diet.
Let's say you do "cheat" (not strategically) and eat something you are "not suppose to" while dieting. Guilt, failure, and a slew of other feelings you should never have to feel while on a diet surface and make you feel as though you just "don't have it in you" or that you lack the will power or that you don't have what it takes to stick with a program and achieve your goals.
Flat out, dieting, in the calorie restrictive, self-sacrificing manner we have learned it, is unrealistic for the majority of people.
If I had to tell you that I had to give up my favorite foods for 3 months, to get lean, I'd be one fat gal. The trade off isn't worth it, and neither are the painful slow results that most "diets" yield.
The term cheating fits perfectly in the sense that you are "cheating" the DIET. Dieting sucks, and by having days in which you eat what you want, you actually cheat "dieting" out of the opportunity to destroy your metabolism, plateau your fat loss, and all the negative adaptations and consequences that 99.9% of calorie restrictive nutrition programs pose.
Strategic cheating absolutely increases adherence across the board, it makes "dieting", a concept which generally demands that people forgo their favorite foods for months and months at a time actually liveable, and more important Enjoyable. For most people day 1 of a diet is the worse day of their life. It's depressing. " No pizza,for like, 3 months while I attempt to lose this fat." Anyone who thinks that's actually going to happen is completely deluded and this is exactly why 99% of people fail with restricted diet.
Let's say you do "cheat" (not strategically) and eat something you are "not suppose to" while dieting. Guilt, failure, and a slew of other feelings you should never have to feel while on a diet surface and make you feel as though you just "don't have it in you" or that you lack the will power or that you don't have what it takes to stick with a program and achieve your goals.
Flat out, dieting, in the calorie restrictive, self-sacrificing manner we have learned it, is unrealistic for the majority of people.
If I had to tell you that I had to give up my favorite foods for 3 months, to get lean, I'd be one fat gal. The trade off isn't worth it, and neither are the painful slow results that most "diets" yield.