Are you ready…..

I tend to agree and disagree with this article. I do agree it depends on your mindset BUT in the beginning it does depend on your commitment levels and the way one looks at these days.

The word “cheat” does have major negative connotations so I look at one day a week as my “reward” day. It started out as an all out binge and gradually it has morphed into a “more” day with healthier food choices. Although I am eating now for my health the most important way of achieving goals is sustainability. Allowing a reward day has allowed me to maintain sustainability. I am not at the level of a Dutch yet but that’s ok. I will get there.

I simply could not even fathom never eating I was not ready to look at my life and say “Never again will the sweet taste of chocolate touch my lips.”

I have quit all the junk during the challenge though but it has taken time to get to this point.

Dutch himself says “I don’t want anyone to feel like i never have a vanilla shake, or go party my ass off occasionally, because i do.”

Well, it is semantics as “partying your ass off” may include how many glasses of toxicity to your liver, but is it “cheating”. Dutch says no….and feels no guilt over it. It depends on where your head is at.

Everyone assumes “guilt” is a bad emotion. It is a viable emotion, available for a reason, it keeps people honest. (Why you do what you do is another paper by Maslow. ) It just depends on how you process guilt, similarly to ANY emotion, happiness, sadness, envy, rage. Removing guilt is not healthy, dealing with the emotion is….

For me, my “cheat” day is about scheduling. it is a very slippery slope for me. (as it is with many people). If I schedule a day where I can eat similarly to my friends and family then the real “CHEAT” would for me, be on a non-scheduled day. THIS would elicit a strong guilt response. One “vanilla milkshake” or bag of chips with dip that is not “scheduled” could lead to two then to the next day then to “I’ll get back to my eating habits tomorrow, next week, next month then the ever elusive New Years Resolution.

My mantra, the thought that keeps me “honest” is; when I go to grab a piece of pie or snack when I am making my kids a peanut butter sandwich I say to myself……

“There are kids in Africa, Haiti, christ Shamattawa for that matter, who do not have this choice….they are starving, literally starving, and you (me because I am talking to myself …. haha ) can not wait until Sunday? Suck is up and make the right choice….) As corny as it sounds It works for me…

Now that I have seen results I use MLC’s self dialogue “Nothing tastes as good as this feels”…..

I am a very emotional person and I have learned to channel and use all of my emotions to my advantage. It keeps me grounded……

Quite a diatribe I know but Dutch’s article did what it was supposed to……made me think.

Thanks again Turbo.

E

Lunch – fish, lettuce, spinach, roast beef, green beans, balsamic vinegar

Back from Phoenix… surprisngly I did quite well food wise… living with a bunch of grain and sugar loving peeps. I will admit, I had a veggie pizza.. made by Kashi which had the thinest crust you could imagine.. which I topped with a mound of ground beef, mushrooms etc. And there was an ice cream treat. Damn you ice cream! On the talk of ‘cheats’… I don’t like to use that word, it makes me feel like I’m being a bad girl. I like to call that my ’10%’ of the 90/10 rule. I can’t like in a modern world without an indulgence once in a while. I did it, and I move on. Yah, am I gonna feel it after… sure. But I chose that. I like to plan these ’10%’ breaks when I know the next day I will be vegging at my house… in case my stomach disagrees with my ’10%’. lol
For lunch my fiance (still like saying it) had made up a chicken curry concoction. Tasted good, and even better I didn’t have to make it!

slow cooker pork

Yesterday I was craving a hamburger, onion rings & a chocolate shake…..I`ve come a long way….I did deviate, but my deviation was a bowl of rice, still not a real food, I know…but I did it and now I`m letting it go

Both Jodi and I had some more yummy steak with veggies for lunch. Fruit and coconut milk for a snack

lunch – salad with chicken.

I don’t agree with everything Dutch says. I don’t like to think of it as cheating. This is a lifestyle and I know I am not going to be perfect all the time. To me it is an indulgence that I will allow myself once in a while. I know better than to have it every day or even once a week but every once in a while I will have something that is not paleo but that I love. I can’t lock myself into rules and “nevers” it feels too much like my “dieting weight watcher” days. I think I work hard at being healthy and I know that having an ice cream or whatever it is is not going to undo what I have accomplished. My choice of indulgences has changed over the years. I used to want to indulge in hamburgers and fries or a really rich dessert. Now my indulgence is toast with peanut butter. As I choose to eat healthy, my tastes have changed and maybe I won’t want that in a year from now. But this is the long haul and like Eric said, I’m not there yet but I’m a hell of a lot further than I was a year ago.

Back from my 4 day Vegas vacation where I had a bunch of “planned cheats”.
lunh: chicken & ham, broccoli, plum, 1/2 tomato, pine nuts.

@Erika
Well said Erika & Eric. I totally agree. I think those occasional “cheat” actually help me stay the course long term. I do acknowledge that is is also a slippery slope and I have been finding that I don’t feel the urge to deviate from paleo as much anymore.

Lunch: mixed greens & chicken

Lunch today was not much. Had a very busy day, I would say it was chicken and an apple.

can of tuna with grated carrots. blah.:(

@Erika
ditto for me, Wipeout! Love that I have finally learnt balance, have always wanted it, and now the day has come, yippee! That’s how I see all of what you said as well as eric, it’s balance, my lifelong search has finally ended and now began with happiness AND healthiness.

Lunch was a mix of 2 eggs, some pickled herring (the best choice at a ukranian restaurant) and lettuce. not so great, but I’m now making a solid effort to have a post-workout feed, so today was protein powder and leftover mixed vegs.
also trying to nix nuts, but do seeds also have the same impact? need to know (and coach T, plz see my question from 2 days ago and reply unless I missed it!)

Lunch was a salad w/spicy italian sausage, mushroomo & cucumber

I’m not ready to let go of my “cheat” meal but this whole process has made me more conscious of the quantity and the quality of my “cheat”. What used to be a weekend free for all starting at Friday 4pm, has turned into one meal, Sat or Sund. And now, the meal isn’t really the cheat part…it’s the after dinner treat…chocolat!

Lunch was a kick ass salad with 1 can of Tuna and two hard boiled eggs 1 tbs of crushed walnuts and chopped up red and yellow bell peppers……..

E

Lunch today was ground turkey, parsnips, broccoli, and spinach in tomato sauce.
Missed yesterday too – was pretty meager but I had 3 hard boiled eggs, broccoli, and a protein shake

Erika I agree with you, I consider my “cheats” more like indulgences and I’m aware that they’re not good for me but I also know I won’t be derailed by a few planned or unplanned slip-ups. Non-nourishing foods are in my alcohol category…they feel good only temporarily and there is a price to pay afterwards, but I still knowingly partake every once in a while. Maybe as I get older my priorities will change but I do know I’ll live grain+refined sugar free forever now bc of how I feel and how I perform.

BF: 2 poached eggs on braised cabbage and greens
Lunch 1: Salad (same one as before with poached eggs)
Lunch 2: Apple with almond butter and a fair bit of chicken
No supper bc of the WOD and I just had an avocado and apple sauce smoothie with the isonatural whey powder Tania recommended. Very tasty and frothy.

a nice bowl of chili

Lunch: 3 egg omelet with kale, tomato, avocado and salsa / 1/2 grapefruit / organic cottage cheese / 4 strawberries