Cheating

Well, my dears, you know I am all about the diet and the healthy living. I am up on my high horse, galloping away from the junk food at megaspeeds most of the time. But on occasion, and I try not to make those occasions very frequent, I do like to indulge. I mean, who doesn't?

Today I put the Zone diet aside for one meal and went out to tea with a good friend. Of course, I had boot camp first, and we emphasized high intensity drills this morning with bursts of speed and intensity which are great for upping fitness levels and burning calories not only DURING the workout, but for up to eight hours post workout! Good stuff, right? So I was prepped for my cheat meal.

I have mentioned in earlier posts that I tried the Slow Carb diet (see The Four Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss) last year. As part of this diet, a weekly cheat day is highly recommended. During the cheat day, one is encouraged to eat anything and everything normally avoided, including sugar, grains, processed foods, and whatever else. The philosophy is that when calories are lowered, metabolism can slow down in response. The cheat day ups the calories and thus re-sets the metabolism, encouraging the release of higher levels of specific thyroid hormones. Any weight gained during the cheat day is supposed to be offset by bigger losses during the week following. What I found personally on the Slow Carb diet was that I lost weight initially, until the first cheat day. During the month that followed, I never returned to the initial  pre-cheat low. However, I was able to cut sugar completely from my diet, except for the weekly cheat day. This was a step that I had never taken before.

The concept of inserting a pre-planned cheat meal into an otherwise healthy, balanced diet, possibly once a week or even once a month, has other benefits.  Since most of us are probably human (little Homo sapien humor!) it is unrealistic to expect to be perfect one hundred percent of the time. I find that a scheduled cheat meal can help keep me on track in the days and/or weeks preceding the cheating. Of course if you hope not to undo all the good work you have already done, I recommend keeping your cheat portions small. Drink plenty of water BEFORE your cheat meal to help your belly feel fuller to start with. Eat especially slowly and savor your treat mindfully. Actually, these suggestions apply to ALL your meals and snacks! Enjoyment is an important factor in satiety.

While I believe that eating in the Zone is the healthiest choice we can make at each meal, occasionally throwing caution to the wind and chomping down a Devil's Spit Burger with fries or a pear and asiago cheese scone also has its merits!  And the nice thing about the Zone diet is that any deviation you make only lasts until your next meal.  Just wait four hours, eat a balance meal, and you're back in the Zone again!