Confession: I cheated!

[blueodyssey]

Hi All,

So I cheated today :$

It started out unplanned, but after it started I decided the best thing to do was to proclaim it a planned cheat day.

Cheat day OVER! Now I will get back to P2 and monitor my cravings. Hopefully I won't have to redo P1. But I will keep you all posted.

In terms of the psychology behind the cheat day. I'm not sure if it was just plateau frustration, my three year wedding anniversary, or just time for a mental break from all the meal planning/analyzing.

Have any of you SB Veterans had a planned/unplanned cheat day and returned victoriously?

[RedRox]

Well more treat meals and snacks rather than whole days. This isn't a perfection based program. Consistency and longevity typically win out in the end. You may even find that just shaking things up like that helps break you out of your plateau. The only problem with treat days once you have been in a good solid P2 routine for awhile is when they turn into treat weeks and then treat months! And I tend to think that treat meals or treat occasions are a better concept than giving up a whole day to treating. Mentally I think that is kind of a slippery slope where it becomes easier to fall back into your old eating habits. Just my opinion.

[paintedbliss]

I never have a cheat day but.. IF there is a special occasion coming such as an anniversary, birthday ect. I try to really stay on plan even do a basic phase 1 for a couple days before hand so I don't go overboard for the special dinner. LAst valentines day dh took me to a really nice restuarant which there was nothing that would been on plan. So I made the choices early, ate well and exercised all week. I did go off at the dinner and even had the creme brulee cheesecake which was probally 1000 cal/ slice but restarted the next day at phase 1 for 3 days. The cravings weren't horribly bad, ended up gaining a little but within a week got back on track. Yes it can be done. Remember this is a way of living, and can be done successfully so if you need a mental health day from the plan that's okay, just "get back on the horse" at your next meal.

[blueodyssey]

Yesterday went great! low fat cottage cheese with protein powder for BF, Salad with four boiled eggs (egg whites) for lunch, and another salad with nuts for dinner. NO CRAVINGS! YAY!!!

Today poached egg sandwich on whole wheat and oatmeal so far... still NO CRAVINGS

[Wsu_Coug]

When girl scout cookies came out my s/o brought 12 boxes home from the office (same amount we got last year, embarsing to admit) there were samoias (sp?) which used to be my fav, I read the lable and knew If i did an extra two or so days on phase one I could have one cookie, boy was i supprised when i didnt finish the cookie, i ended up throwing it away after two bites, it didnt taste good anymore, it felt too processed. . . so glad i had those bites, glad I can now say to the s/o go ahead and finish all the boxes, i dont want any! Congrats to everyone who has overcome any craving no matter how small!

[blueodyssey]

Yeah, my cheat was avocado egg rolls from cheesecake factory and a bowl of cereal (Kashi Cinnamon Harvest) with 9 grams of sugar in it.

It honestly wasn't all that I thought it was going to be. I'm actually glad I cheated so I can feel like I'm really not missing anything.

However, I do have another planned cheat coming up in June...when I graduate from medical school with an M.D. and it will not be in the form of solid simple carbs

[small dog]

I think it is important to try to figure out why it happened. If you plan for a special occasion and it is a planned thing, thought of in advance with strategies in place, it is one thing. BUT it does become a slippery slope when it just happens, you don't know why and you cave. I found it to be a problem when exhausted and nothing on hand or prepared and we found ourselves at the diner. Then it would be something else, and something else. Now I keep on hand "diner protection" in the form of frozen dinners that I can nuke quick, add a little salad, jello or SF pudding and we are OK. Usually when this happens I am so tired that I don't care what I eat or if I eat, so it is really OK. Another help is to spend an afternoon cooking ahead and planning ahead so the daily grind of it doesn't get to me as much. That I find really wearing--the constant thinking and planning what to eat. We can't give in to that and just grab whatever. We did end up at the diner last night though. Hubby came home from work and I was in the middle of dog grooming--covered with dog hair and dog hair everywhere! He was tired too. We had soup and a sandwich and it was OK. Not worth beating myself up for. So today, plan and cook. Next planned out to eat---let's see, VACATION-April 4th!! Camping, camping!