Cheat Days & Other Bullshittery
This article is good. Besides the fact that the title itself lends itself to what we all know to be true, it’s something we all need to hear. Cheat days are dumb. No, we’re not saying that you can’t indulge or enjoy food that is typically not a part of your nutrition plan, but let’s call it what it is. Real life. In an effort to give us all a little perspective and hopefully to help you on your journey, please read this article written by Amy Kubal on the Robb Wolf’s Blog.
I’m going to issue a warning right off the bat – this is not going to be pretty. First I need you to reread the title of this post. Okay, now I need you to really think about if you’re ready to hear what I’ve got to say about the subject mentioned. If you think you can handle it, great. If you’ve already got this weekend’s “eat like an @sshole day” planned out, you may want to reconsider proceeding. In the event you choose to keep reading – consider yourself warned. All right, now let’s do this.
My motivation for throwing down on the topic of ‘cheat days’ was fueled by a comment left on my last blog post. So, you can thank Kristen for this one. Here’s the comment to give you some background:
“As long as you have a cheat day every week, who cares about baking stuff with coconut flour … just be a good Paleo dieter the rest of the week and gorge yourself on Saturday!” –Kristen
To be honest, when I read this for the first time, I cried inside a little bit. Just WHAT?!?!? I think the word gorge is what put me over the edge. I mean, really?? First off, food is meant to be ENJOYED. It is NOT meant to be GORGED on – that is NOT healthy for your body or your mind. This is exactly the reason I HATE 30-day challenges and “Carb Night” plans. It sets up a cycle of deprivation and then complete debauchery follows. In the ‘cheat day’ scenario, food is being used as a ‘reward’ for good behavior. Um, are we dogs? Have we not learned that eating MINDFULLY and enjoying our food is the goal of all of this? Is it okay to eat pizza, ice cream or a cookie? Hell yes! BUT eating them in mass quantities all at the same time is bat-shit crazy.