A Cheat Day or a Cheat Moment

Ariel here. I hope you are feeling joyful and well.

I am feeling rejuvenated after coming back from a family vacation where we actually got to see and hug family and close friends after such a long time. It felt comforting and beautiful. It was a good trip especially seeing our son Jaden hug his grandparents, playing with his cousins, and toddling around the neighborhood I grew up in among other fun activities. (like going to the zoo! I actually think I had more fun than Jaden😆)

Anyway, I am popping in to say hello and to share a few thoughts on a topic that came up recently during a coaching session.

Many diets out there use a strategy intended to help people manage their bad habits more easily while also helping them lose weight and reach their weight goals. This strategy typically includes what is known as a:

Cheat day

It’s an idea meant to bring people comfort when it comes to dieting. After a long week of feeling deprived of the "good stuff" (sugar, trans-fats, processed carbs, alcohol, caffeine, and more sugar) they are allowed to binge for one day on any unhealthy thing they desire with no limit on how much. If you want to eat twelve donuts in one day, then the cheat day "allows" you to do it. This might feel good in the moment, but then it's right back to feeling deprived again, leaving you in a cycle where you are consistently using bad food as a reward for being good.

This might work for some, but for most, it will completely backfire. This approach typically results in weight gain instead of weight loss, increased irritability, increased stress, and overall frustration and unhappiness. It sends your body into a sugar shock each week, and your metabolism goes haywire. It puts your body into a state of confusion, never giving it the chance to burn the fat you may desire to lose. Insulin and blood sugar levels go through the roof putting you in a state of stress and inducing more cravings. That keeps you holding on to weight rather than letting it go.

In the days following a cheat day, instead of having more energy like you expect after going back to being "good" again, you actually feel even more tired, lethargic, and foggy. Your body is still recovering from the cheat day. So how do you make real progress in making a metabolic shift? (getting your body to burn fat!) If your goal is to lose some extra belly fat, or fat elsewhere, then the cheat day is most likely not going to achieve that goal. Instead of the cheat day being a tool for success, it is actually counter productive.

I have another idea that can make weight loss a bit easier, and weight management more effortless. Give yourself :

Cheat Moments

Cheat moments are meant to ease your transition from eliminating all of the unhealthy things that you crave (cold turkey) to a sustainable way of healthy eating, and a much healthier relationship with food -- good and bad.

Here's how it works: First, you have to figure out which unhealthy things you truly enjoy and need to keep around. Then give yourself 3-5 cheat moments during the course of a week that are small in portion. This will satisfy your cravings but not so much that you fall back to square one as you often do with a cheat day. Cheat moments are intended to make cravings manageable while keeping your blood sugar levels more balanced and your body more efficient. You will learn how to satisfy your cravings without throwing all of your hard work away, and eventually, the word "cheat" may be eliminated all together. What will remain are the moments where you simply decide which treats you choose to thoroughly enjoy and when.

These 3-5 cheat moments can be incorporated into busy schedules, spread out through the week, and can include special occasions or work events. Other benefits of this approach include sustained energy to perform, greater feelings of satisfaction and happiness with your decision. Lastly, you will gradually change your behavior and decision making around all the food you choose to consume making your healthy routine much easier to maintain.

I am a true believer that eating healthy can be and should be extremely enjoyable and satisfying. You will reach a point of not wanting the "bad stuff" as much or as often as you once did.

This topic has become so popular in my coaching sessions that I have a worksheet to help people decide on their 3-5 cheat moments. It's my Managing Indulgences Worksheet, and you can download it complementary HERE
Feel free to REPLY and let me know how it goes!

Have a great week enjoying those cheat moments!