[Mastering the Cheat Meal] What We’re Dealing With
December 9th, 2009
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by Jodi · Filed Under: Nutrition
Cheat meals are both a blessing and a curse. When we first begin dieting they tend to be the biggest worry for the newbie dieter:
Can I have a cheat meal?
What counts as a cheat meal?
What can I have as a cheat meal?
Just the thought of eating off plan the first two to three weeks for some folks is too much to handle because ‘they want to get everything right’ or they are trying to maximize the amount of weight they can lose in that time. During this time you try to eat as clean as possible and deny yourself the right to even breathe by a bakery much less walk into one. I am going to venture to say that you go over the top during this time by trying to over diet. This eventually backfires when you just cannot take it anymore and do the backstroke through the buffet table at the Beansprout restaurant. Not pretty.
The other end of the spectrum is counting down the minutes to your cheat meal to the point where you have a counter on your blog stating: 3 days 2 hours 25 min 32 sec til my cheat meal. There’s cause for concern if this is you. You’re going to wait until you have a cheat meal but you’re going to treat it like it’s the last meal in the year 2012. Not only do you plan it down to the moment, but you have built it up to the point that unless this meal comes served with a 2 week vacation in Maui, you are not going to be happy. So now you cannot stop with just the meal. You’re actually let down so you start trolling through the cabinets for something to satisfy the fantasy you just basted all week long.
For the next couple of posts I am going to dissect the cheat meal for you. I’ll talk about what you can get away with, pitfalls, fallacies and etc. with the hopes of getting you through this holiday season safely (I don’t want anyone throwing their back out hucking their scale out the window.lol). There is an art to this and you can master it. If you understand what makes you psycho, you can get in front of it and own it before it owns you. Also, if you also understand how much damage this meal doesn’t do, you will handle the day after so much better.
Get ready to venture into the land of cheat meals…WOOP WOOP!:o)
I’m looking forward to this series Jo. Cheats were never a big deal for me one way or the other. I never had any desire to go crazy or count down to a meal, but when you said that it wasn’t satisfying, well, that got my interest. No build up but no satisfaction either. Even things like Thanksgiving didn’t really do much for me. I almost always leave feeling like it wasn’t really worth it, like I’d have been just as happy keeping it clean. Hmm …
Whoo hoo, can’t wait!!! I have been on both ends of the spectrum, and I must say that I do better not cheating! A cheat meal usually sets me up for the big binge!! I am dieting right now trying to remove the 15lbs that I put on after comp….Why oh why did I let myself gain that back????? THanks Jodi, love your blogs as always!!
Thanks for the info Jodi! This happens to be one of my biggest concerns as a fitness newbie. I have always embraced exercise, whether it’s hitting the gym or playing in a pickup women’s hockey league. My eating however has always limited me from getting to that next level. I am having trouble balancing my food intake. I eat great and clean during the week but find I myself binge eating on the weekends particularly when drinking red wine. I’ve gone from eating whatever I want on a daily basis … to a completely new diet. This forces me to fall yet another level behind and I tend to feel less motivated to get back on track come Monday morning.
ohhh, looking forward to venturing into the land of Cheatmeals Jodi …. !!!
Great topic! Coming from one who has been there, I know it can be a learning experience when it comes to understanding what’s healthy and unhealthy in regards to a cheat meal. This topic points to the fact that not only do we have to learn how to eat clean, but we have to learn how to loosen the reigns without losing our minds! In my former dieting days, I would basically starve myself all week and then spend a day of binging which could be literally all day long! Not only was this unhealthy physically, but mentally! I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts on the topic.
Cheat meal?
I didn’t know they existed or diets for that matter….hmmmm…not part of my vocab.
You’ve piqued my interest. I am feeling like a sponge, ready to learn.
can’t wait Jodi. Thanks!!
I try to follow the 90% rule…I eat clean 90% of the time. I don’t plan a cheat meal or a cheat day and that way I learn to look forward to all of the good food I get to eat 90% of the time. I tend to listen and watch my body…if I’m feeling like I’m low in energy or hitting a plateau, I hit my body with some added carbs and move on.
Seanna: Girl, that is because you have mastered the art of locking it down. However, food should bring some pleasure. It’s social, fun and pleasurable. We need to awaken that spirit in you.
Lynn: We’ll talk about this because it means you are too clean, girl. Ease up.
Kristina: I hear you loud and clear. Do not try to do too much at once. Look at this like a long journey that just began. Map it out over weeks, not meals.
Michelle: Yes! And much more to come.
Invastion: I feel we have all been there at one time. Please chime in when I get there.
Monica: Ok, I hope you are enjoying some off plan meals here and there.
Pam: Thank you!!
Joanna: I love your outlook!! What you describe is what I call “variety” and I agree with you whole heartedly! Put more adventure in your meals so you are dependent on one. Thank you, girl!:o)