By that, I’m referring to on a diet! Today’s topic was a request from a member of my Facebook Page. I thought it was a great discussion to get into for today’s “News, Facts & Fitness Monday”.
Whether on not to ‘cheat’ on a diet or healthy eating plan is what a lot of people struggle with. Should you have to give up all your favorite foods, or should you be able to enjoy them on occasion? One thing that bothers me about specific diet plans and eating styles eg. Clean Eating, Paleo, Atkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers etc is the black and white mentality. A person says, “Oh, I can’t have that because its not ‘clean’. Or, “Oh my gosh, well I absolutely cannot have that, its not Paleo”. Having no balance in your meal plan leads to days of totally going off your plan. Why? Well who wouldn’t!!! With weeks of thoughts filled with “I can’t have this, I can’t have that“, what do you think is going to happen when you allow yourself to have them? Well it can lead to a full day (or days) of overeating or even binging. In the process, you’re telling yourself, “Well I can’t have this food on Monday, so I may as well eat it now!” I’ve been there myself and had the exact same thoughts! In my opinion, this is what leads to disordered eating patterns.
When losing weight (or fat), studies are still showing that it still mostly comes down to calories in, calories out. The only reason these diets work is because they are all based on some sort of calorie restriction. If you eat mostly whole foods, then of course its going to bring down your total calories for the day. While 1200 calories a day is much too low for most people, this is what most diets are based on. I don’t know how a one-size-fits all approach can work for everyone, because it doesn’t. A person who is 250lbs has different calorie needs than someone who is 150lbs. People that are active need more protein than others. Most of the time, exercise isn’t even put into the equation. What makes more sense to me, is eating a reasonable amount of calories for your body, then supplementing with exercise to lose the fat & weight so you don’t lose muscle as well.
Ok, now back to the theory of ‘cheating’. In the fitness industry (especially during contest prep), its common to be on a very strict eating schedule during the week, then 1 day on the weekend, having a cheat meal. Only during heavy training periods, I feel its beneficial to utilize a day at maintenance calories, or even a surplus. The body can get used to a lower calorie diet quite quickly, so its a way to temporarily boost your metabolism again. This often acts as a re-feed to the body and fills back up the glycogen stores. This above method is useful if you are training heavily. 5+ days a week, heavy weight training and/or cardio. Even so, this would never mean an entire day of eating junk food, I’m talking a few treats eg. Some pizza, a chocolate bar and perhaps a glass of wine. Contest dieting is not always a good thing, it can create a lot of ‘food issues’ with already sensitive people, by partaking in this type of diet mentality.
For the average person wanting to be healthy who maybe works out a 3-5 days a week and is not training for an event, this is not necessary. If your not trying to make gains in the gym, or improve performance, filling glycogen stores doesn’t really matter.
Not to say that if your not an athlete, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have treats occasionally, but they certainly aren’t needed from a fuel and performance perspective. My belief is that you should be eating things that you like daily. Not depriving yourself all week, so by the time the weekend hits, you can’t wait to eat junk food. Then, you get back to the “can and can’t” mentality, which really is just a disordered way of eating. Do you ever notice that when you’re on a ‘diet’ you’ll sometimes eat things just because, not even really because you want it? You want those foods because they are forbidden. Always wanting what you can’t have. I’ve been there done that. I’ve never eaten so badly than when I was on a ‘diet’. More and more, I really don’t like using the word ‘cheat’ at all, because then it goes back to the ‘black and white’ thinking. What’s good and what’s bad. I like to think of it like this: “Eating Healthy, with Treats Occasionally”.
What Does Eating Healthy Mean To Me?
What Food? Incorporating lean proteins, veggies (especially green veggies), some fruit, healthy fats from nuts, nut butters, olive oil, coconut oil, whole grains like oats, brown rice, yams, squash.
Calories. I shoot for a certain calorie range each day (whether it be maintenance or fat loss)
Treats? I have a treat when I feel like it. If its during the week, I’ll work it into my daily calorie needs, on a weekend, maybe I’ll eat out and turn a blind eye to the calories for that meal, but without going overboard.
No Mind Games. Treats will always be there. No need to panic! If you want a slice of bacon with breakfast, go for it. If you want a couple of squares of chocolate after dinner, have it. Just work it into your daily calorie needs. If I know I can have something at any given time, it makes me not want it very bad. Make sense?
No Perfection. I must say, I’m not perfect, and there are times that I overeat. I sometimes eat for emotional reasons (mostly out of boredom or stress). That is still a work in progress. But with the above way of thinking, it happens less and less.
Other Helpful Hints:
Limit Sugar – For me, sugar makes me crave more sugar (this includes agave, maple syrup and honey) so I avoid those on a daily basis. That is why you’ll see I mostly use stevia in recipes. As far as I’m concerned, honey, agave and maple syrup are just empty calories.
Easy on Certain Carbs – I find carbs like quinoa, brown rice and gluten free cereals not as filling. So I’ll usually opt for squash (like Butternut and Kabocha) and raw carrots and occasionally beans.
Variety – Eating the same thing day in day out gets boring really fast. That is why I’m always trying out new recipes. Hopefully you can find ones to try on the recipe portion of the site HERE
Eat Fat! – Incorporating more fat keeps me satisfied. I typically have 50+grams a day of healthy fats each day. From nuts to nut butters, olive oil, coconut oil and occasionally red meat.
Enough Protein – I try to get in my bodyweight in protein each day. I weigh 130 lbs so I try to get in 130 grams of protein each day. I also find protein more satisfying and helpful in maintaining muscle mass. There is also a study I read here, that states that eating more protein helps to keep weight off.
Listen to Your Body – If you suspect a food is making you sick or bloated, stop eating it! I hear all the time about people eating things that make them sick and they continue to keep eating it. There are MANY substitutes for things out there nowadays, so there are plenty of good alternatives.
NOTE: The above is what works for me. I’m not saying the same will work for you too. We are all different. I think my main point is, don’t be so quick to jump on board with typical diets out there. Find healthy foods that you like to eat daily, and don’t deprive yourself. When you want something, have it! Stop the mind games, and don’t obsess over food.
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So as you can see, the answer isn’t as simple as, “To Cheat or Not to Cheat“, its a whole different way of thinking. There’s the ‘cheating’ approach, and then there’s my ‘balanced and nothing off limits’ approach. I’m interested to hear what you think in the comments below.
