“OFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF, with your head!” shouts the Queen of Alice
in Wonderland. I know what you're thinking, “Wait, wait, I just thought you
said not to punish yourself?!”
I did, but this chapter is not
about punishment, it is about rewarding your progress without losing your head.
They say “cheaters never succeed,”
same goes for traitors. Whatever you do in your diet, doesn’t be a traitor to
yourself. What this means is lying to yourself about what you did or didn't do,
will get you nowhere.
I’ve found that in the early
stages of any diet program I would sometimes neglect to write down an item I ate as if it didn't count. Before I
knew it, nothing counted, and I started indulging in careless and reckless
eating behaviors: A little chocolate here, then a little candy there … a little
extra butter here, and a dab of extra ranch dressing on everything.
You need to know that everything
counts, but don't beat yourself up over a little extra ranch. Just be sure to
track it in your daily dietary menu. You need to be counting everything you
consume because even if you don't count
it, your body does. Your body doesn't know that something “doesn't count”
or know “to look the other way.” It knows that it is tasty and what to do with
it.
The best way to stay on target and
track your efforts is to write down everything you eat. Ever dab of butter,
every piece of candy, every little extra of whatever you add to your day.
Nobody is going to watch your weight for you, or what you eat for you. Only you decide what you do and do not eat.
However, don't punish yourself for it. Like I stated in Chapter 6, punishing yourself is one of the worst things you
can do. In fact it is better to reward yourself daily, in a way that works with
you diet not against it.
So you want to have chocolate every day?
You can, but you have to plan for it. The best chocolate for you is Dark
Chocolate. It is low in sodium and it is healthy for your heart and sanity.
If you can make it apart of your
balanced daily dietary needs, then I say you can have it. If it doesn't, you
might want to save it as your two week reward oath from Chapter 5. I am willing to bet it will taste better in two
weeks then if you have it every day. Whatever you do, don't lose your head and
get carried away with sweets and decadent treats, but don't punish yourself for
falling off the path every once in a while.
Sometimes the best way to avoid
temptation is to read up on it. Check the Nutrition Facts and data on it. See
if it is in fact good for you. A little known fact that most dieticians and
health guru's won't tell you is that a little cheating can be beneficial. If
you eat healthy every day without straying, sometimes your body falls into a
routine mode and stops working for you towards your success. Sometimes it takes
a little wow, to break the routine and wake your body up. However, a word of
caution is to not to do it in excess, or too often. Everything in moderation is
best and will often times taste better if it is a well-earned reward.
Another thing to keep in mind is a
word on no to low calorie sweeteners. They can make life tasty and great, but
with a price. It is common knowledge that aspartame causes headaches. Replacing
all your sugars with low or no calorie sweeteners entirely can lead to persistent
headaches and even migraines. Your body processes sugar better than it does the
“fake stuff.” When I created this diet originally, I replaced sugar with no to
low calorie sweeteners or “fake stuff.” I regularly suffer from migraines and
headaches. I found recently that cutting out the “fake stuff,” my chances of
getting painful headaches decreased dramatically. This time around I will have
a challenge to watch my sugar intake because I can no longer afford to fake it
with the “fake stuff.” Something to keep literally, in mind.
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