Disclaimer: I am NOT saying this is the only way to lose weight or the best way to lose weight. I am merely expounding further on something that’s working for me on the off chance it will prove useful to someone else. After reading it, feel free to loudly sing the song “It’s your thang, do what you wanna do” to yourself several times. I have to confess something. I cheated the night before Easter. (GASP!) Actually, it was the teeniest, tiniest of cheats, and I had a good One bite. That’s it. I was actually disappointed, because I hoped I would be able to say “Ugh! Too sweet!” - but it tasted as yummy as always. I didn’t have the streusel, though. Maybe if I had a bite of that I would have been put off by the sugar… Here’s the thing, though…here’s the reason I’m telling you about this paltry incident: The next morning, my Oat Muffin did not taste as delicious as it usually does. It tasted boring. It tasted bland. It did NOT taste sweet. One little bite of coffee cake - and my palate was tainted. Now by evening, all was back to normal. I had another muffin for dessert and it was muy delicioso. But the experience left its lesson. People are always asking me if I’m going to go back to eating everything when I am “done”. I really don’t think I will. Everything I eat now is very healthy and tastes sooooo good. If I start eating “forbidden” food again - the sugary stuff, the processed crap… not only will I probably not feel as good, but my taste for fruits, veggies, and low sugar treats will not be as honed. I really do think I’m going to eat this way - with very few deviations - for the rest of my life.
rationalization reason. I made my traditional Easter Coffee Cake for the choir brunch. (We had to be at church at 7am and sang six songs in all three services - so we needed FUEL!) This cake is extremely delicious - a spicy base with a streusel topping that has cinnamon, nutmeg, pecans and TONS of sugar. Well, not tons. But there’s a whole cup of brown sugar and 3/4 cup of white. I didn’t have time to experimentally South Beachify the recipe. After all, I have a reputation to uphold as a good cook - one can’t take an experiment to a party like that! 
But I did use whole wheat pastry flour instead of white. And I had to use allspice in place of the nutmeg because I seemed to be out… Well - with those two changes, a taste was imperative. This is where my “cheat” comes in. I cut a piece, and took a bite from the corner - a bite with no streusel I might add! My husband ate the rest. 11 Comments »
Monday 9 April 2007
The real reason not to "Cheat" (Blest)
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hahaha! good story (and point!)
Comment by Anne — April 9, 2007 @ 4:41 pm
Yeah! Good for you! It’s good to come to some realizations and make some decisions such as these.
(but it ain’t for me…)
One of my biggest fears is that I’ll eventually gain it all back. And I like the way I feel right now. So, my rational is that I want to learn control. I can have just one bite and then I’m good. Or have no bite or two bites. But not the whole cake! I’m afraid I’d binge big time if I never got a treat once in awhile. So I allow a bite here and a bite there.
But everyone is different. And it takes guts to admit where you are. Because you have to be totally honest with yourself.
Comment by Anita — April 9, 2007 @ 5:21 pm
I know there’s a Biblical lesson in there somewhere …
Comment by Bird — April 9, 2007 @ 6:29 pm
Thanks for sharing, Blest. I had a similar temptation over Easter when I made brownies differently so my boys could eat them too (they were GFCF.) I just had to serve them “in faith.” They dissappeared, so I assume they were okay
I am with you on thinking I will stay similar when I’m done. Right now, those oat muffins taste soooooo good, I don’t feel a need for a sugary one.
Comment by Brandi — April 9, 2007 @ 7:22 pm
I agree that the way we are eating now (healthy while trying to loose weight) is the way we should continue to eat after we’ve reached our goal weight. I was reading an article today that states “Almost everybody has the idea that once they stop dieting, they’ll be able to eat whatever they want, but that is absolutely false.”.
On the other hand…I can’t go without one cheat…I just can’t take it…ha ha ha! It’s true that once I have a taste of that brownie or cookie or ice cream, I’ll only want more, but I have to teach myself that it’ll be there tomorrow…in my case, since I’m doing Body for Life, it’ll be there when my next free day comes around…in 1 week.
1 week is a long time, but I have to teach myself moderation and that it’ll be there tomorrow.
The article I was reading goes on to say “I’ve discovered that to some degree almost every thin person restricts what she eats. We all need to learn to do that. When the going gets tough, we have to keep reminding ourselves of the advantages of maintaining a healthy weight.”
FYI…I read the above quotes in the Oprah Magazine and it references a book by Dr. Judith Beck called “The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person”. I think I need to look this book up and see if it’s something that I should read.
Comment by Cristina — April 9, 2007 @ 7:48 pm
I know Bird….I’m saving that for my other blog!
Comment by blestwithsons — April 9, 2007 @ 8:37 pm
I think you’ve touched on the most important part of dieting - you have to know yourself. I knew before I started that if I said no sweets, I’d never make it. So now, my portion of treats is very small. 5 M&Ms. Two small scoops of light ice cream. Whatever. At church potlucks, I get five or six desserts, but I only eat one or two bites of each and give the rest to Hubby. And I don’t do it every day. But knowing I can has made a big difference for me this time around. And no, I won’t go back to eating whole desserts or four scoops of regular ice cream once the weight is off. I’ve worked too hard!
Comment by Jana — April 10, 2007 @ 7:22 am
And of course, let me reiterate, I DO have treats. I never told myself no treats or no sweets. I just have found treats that are within my plan. I really don’t have superhuman willpower or anything like that. I’m pretty spoiled, foodwise. Every day I have a muffin (my favorite sweet treat) or some of those Banana Oatmeal cookies…Almost every day I have a piece of really good dark chocolate. I’m plenty treated. It’s just all legal stuff. That’s why I can fairly happily (occasionally not so happily) turn down the other stuff.
Still not arguing that anyone should do it “my way”. I just don’t want people thinking that “my way” is more strict than it actually is…
Comment by blestwithsons — April 10, 2007 @ 7:33 am
Blest, I know what you mean. It does seem like people who aren’t familiar with SB put restrictions on you that you don’t actually have!
I am a rule-breaker. I know this from past diet experiences. If the RULE says not to eat something, I must eat it! That’s why restricting myself to only “legal” sweets would not work. For me. Working great for you, though! I have no doubt you will be able to eat that way forever.
Comment by Jana — April 10, 2007 @ 8:03 am
Blest, did you start out able to adhere to “No Cheating” or somewhere along the way decide that was your only hope??
I KNOW I have to do that, ’cause there is no such thing as eating one french fry for me (unless it’s right before going to bed and I have had 2 glasses of wine, a mild sedative, and I am getting a foot massage while eating said french fry. In that case I may not finish even that one - but my, doesn’t that sound like heaven!)
I am just not very good at saying, “No.” Once I get on a roll, I can do it, but getting started at it is the challenge!
Comment by missy — April 10, 2007 @ 2:07 pm
You know…I don’t really remember how I started out. I think my philosophy evolved… I remember when we went to Colorado Springs for a week (I had lost 17lbs at that point), I told myself that I could have one special dessert - if I saw something that tempted me enough. I didn’t see anything that tempted me enough. After that, the success was snowballing and I didn’t want to chance ANYTHING stopping this ride. I think that’s when I really solidified my position on cheating.
I mean, I’m no different from anyone else. I’ve been on diet after diet. I’ve lost 20 and gained it back. Lost 30 - gained it back. I don’t want that to happen EVER AGAIN! And how did it happen? Through a day of “Well, I’ll just treat myself to this today and get back on the wagon tomorrow” and “Well, there’s still some ____ left. I’ll eat it today and back on the wagon tomorrow” and “Well, but today I’m so depressed. I need this treat to feel better. Tomorrow I’ll eat right…” and “Oh look! It’s Christmas Time!” And the next thing you know the @$#% wagon has slipped its brakes and rolled off a cliff somewhere and it’s years before I catch another one! Know what I mean?
That’s where my position is coming from. From the position of NOTHING can possibly taste as good as it feels to not be fat. And I do not ever want to go back. If that means I never touch another tortilla chip (my biggest weakness) I can SO live with that.
Comment by blestwithsons — April 10, 2007 @ 2:36 pm