Cheating
It’s not realistic to think that once you become health conscious, you’re never going to cheat. Even I fall off the wagon once in a while. I’m a former fat kid, so when I cheat, it’s gets ugly.

When it comes to staying on your diet, everybody has good and bad days. The key is to know your limits, and to factor at least some backsliding into your program, especially during the holidays. The worst thing you can do is to start having self-sabotaging thoughts when you cheat. Just because you had a banana split, don’t think, Man, I blew it. I ruined my program. There’s no point in continuing. If you think that way, you’ll never change your story and become the new you. Refocus. Instead, think, That pie was good, but now I’m going to have to be really dedicated to reach my goals. I’ll eat properly today and the next day. Then, commit to it meal by meal. Get back on it. Reconfirm your personal goal.

Include a small element of cheating in your diet right out of the gate can keep backsliding from becoming failure. Over the weekend, factor in a piece of pie. Eat a few slices of pizza (just use a napkin to absorb some of the excess grease beforehand). When you know you’re going to eat a big dinner, reduce your carbs throughout the day so that you don’t have a whole bunch of carbs in your stomach when you hit the sack. Stay focused and be reasonable. Schedule your cheating before you get critical. Don’t wait till you’re in Savage Beast mode to start looking for garbage to eat.

Food and Emotion
In order to stay on course, learn to detach yourself from food. In my opinion, food is the biggest drug on the streets. When people feel bad, they eat food to cheer themselves up. When people feel good, they eat food to celebrate. When people are bored, they eat just to be eatin’.

Remember, food is meant for nourishment. Consumed wisely, it allows you to derive the most pleasure possible from all other areas of your life. It should be a means of getting you to your goal, not the goal itself. Don’t get me wrong, because I love to eat just as much as the next guy. It’s all about putting food in perspective. A couple of weeks of indulgence can take months or even years to work off. In the long its not worth it. Peace.

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From Psych Central's website:
PsychCentral (March 18, 2010)

    Last reviewed: 17 Mar 2010