Benefits of Cheating

Okay so I know this will be a controversial post but today I want to talk about the benefits of cheating on a diet.

I firmly believe part of my success has been that once a month I cheat. 

I also believe that it is important to actually call it cheating.   Let me explain.

The mental benefits of cheating:
When you are on any lifestyle program like low carb and you are told you can NEVER have something... this sends a negative message to your brain.

If you are anything like me and hate rules and love to rebel, this is not a good thing.

If I am told I can not have something I end up wanting it even more.   My cravings for it increase to the point where eventually I cave and eat that item and a ton of it. I can't stop at one taste, I really go overboard. 

But, for me, if I know that one day a month I am allowed a day where I can eat anything I want.  It is a day I can look forward to.   I can look at that pasta dish or that sourdough bread (my two weaknesses), and instead of caving into the desire, I begin to plan my menu for my cheat day.


The Physical benefits of cheating:
A friend of mine told me she was on a plan where one day a month she could eat whatever she wanted. She was convinced it actually helped jump-start her metabolism each month.

I have played a little with this and am coming to the same conclusion.

It seems to kick the weight loss engine back into gear.

For example, in early August, my scale hadn't moved in almost 4 weeks.

I was on a plateau.

This is of course discouraging and can make a person give up.

My husband and I go on vacation every year for our anniversary and I decided to use that time on vacation to be my cheat time.

This time I cheated (or ate my old way) the whole time I was on vacation.  I had ice cream. I had pasta, I had potatoes etc.  My friends and I joke that not only did I fall off the wagon, I fell off, was ran over by the wagon, and then reached up and grabed the wagon and ran it back over myself again and again.

I came home from vacation and was up 4 lbs. This is no surprise with the way I had been eating.   I didn't allow myself to get discouraged.  Instead I just went back on plan.

I went back on the program on 8/17 and today 8/29 not only have I lost that 4 lbs but also broke through that plateau and have lost 9 more lbs beyond that.


I of course am not a doctor and have no way to know physically if this is possible but she had great success with this and every time I have done it, it seems to work for me too.  


The word cheat itself.
I also believe that for me the word "cheating" is a good thing.  At least for the way my brain works.  If I told myself it was part of my program to have a day off or a day of rest then it is just part of the program and I don't feel like I am getting away with anything.  Some people may need to do this so guilt doesn't get the better of them.  For me, I need to use the word cheat.   When I call it cheating, for me it is a guilty pleasure and allows my rebel side to be happy. 

Dangers / Downsides:

• Be sure it is one day and it doesn't cause you to go off the plan all together.  
• You can go so far overboard on that day that  you gain back all that you have lost. 
  
• For those of  you following Atkins, you will fall out of ketosis and have to go back on induction for a bit to get back into ketosis.