Should You Have Cheat Day When You’re Trying to Lose Weight?
Ah, the eternal question!
Who’d’ve thought that such a simple question would have such a convoluted answer?
Fortunately, it’s not really all that complicated! Keep on reading so I can explain why…
In both my personal and my professional experience with weight loss, I’ve come across two different types of people:
1) The All or Nothinger’s, and
2) The Moderation… Ers…?
The All-or-Nothinger’s MUST stay on point 24/7/365 in order to be successful.
They’re very hard on themselves, and so, when they fall off the wagon, there’s a lot more falling taking place before they decide to stop falling and pick themselves back up again.
The Moderationers CAN be successful following a sort of 80/20 Rule…
Assuming that these folks can actually stay within that food quality distribution, they can see great results!
In my decade of working in this space, I can tell you that I’ve had success with both types of people.
The sad part is that both are susceptible to being repeat customers…
Why? Well, their respective mentalities!
Consider for a moment the adulation one feels when he/she reaches his/her goal. It’s a pretty special feeling!
If you grew up in Western society, what’s the first thing we do when we’re celebrating any sort of achievement or milestone? We celebrate!
What tends to comprise these celebrations? Shitty foods and drinks, of course!
And now, you may be thinking, ‘Hey — He/she stayed on track for six-plus months and accomplished something so many people fail to! They deserve that one day/night of celebration!! Stop raining on their parade!’
I get it. You’re 100% right.
Here’s the problem with people in both camps:
1) The All-or-Nothinger’s will feel terrible about themselves after they’re done eating and drinking in commemoration of their achievement. This isn’t how they got here! How could they allow such a thing to happen so quickly after reaching their goals?
They’ll proceed to punish themselves, undoing all the hard work, while,
2) The Moderationer’s will become much more liberal with their food and beverage choices. They’re not really working towards anything now, so why do 80/20 when they can do 70/30? Or 60/40?
You see where this is going…
So, should you allow yourself a ‘cheat day’ while you’re on your weight loss journey?
My answer: Sure!
If you’ve read this far, then you’ve probably put yourself into one of the two bands of people. It may have been hard to read, but tough truths beat comforting lies every day of the week!
So, knowing yourself, do you think it’s in your best interest to ‘cheat?’
The obvious answer is ‘no,’ regardless of which group you fall into, but I’ve seldom worked with someone who didn’t have a slip-up or 25 million along the way!
The folks who see PERMANENT results tend to be forgiving of themselves when they slip up. It was a bad day or a bad week, and they now have to get back on the horse.
They understand that this is a LIFESTYLE change!
This isn’t a diet. This isn’t an exercise program. They’ve taken the time to both learn and implement healthy eating, regular exercise, and quality sleep into their lives.
This is the ONLY way you’ll see sustainable results, and to never have to revisit starting all over again!
Some food for thought before entering your weekend ;-). Chat with you Monday!
Sincerely,
Pete Weintraub
pete@weightlossbypete.com
P.S. The health, fitness, and weight loss industries can be deceptive! There are so many different fad diets and exercise methodologies that discerning fact from fiction will make your head spin.
Trust me, I know what that’s like…
Unlike you, I didn’t have a me — A coach and an accountability partner who has done all the research and experimentation on himself before reaching his goals.
I’ve found something SUSTAINABLE that works, and I have the knowledge to customize it to meet your specific needs!
With 10 years of experience, SEVEN different fitness and nutrition certifications, and a sustained weight loss of 100 lbs., I’d like to think I know a thing or two about this Permanent Weight Loss thing ;-).
If you’re READY to take that first step on your health and weight loss journey, then let’s chat!
Set up a FREE strategy call with me to over how you can reach your personal goals, please go to www.weightlossbypete.com/strategy, and select a date and time that works for you.
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT I HAVE ONLINE PROGRAMS, AND THAT YOU DON’T NEED TO LIVE CLOSE BY TO ME TO WORK WITH ME!!! I’ve worked with Marines in Japan, businessmen up in Canada, and busy moms from Suburbia, USA.
You can learn more about these fine ladies and gentlemen by going to https://www.weightlossbypete.com/category/happy-clients/.
Just an FYI: You can work with me for as little as a cup of coffee per day :-)
Let’s get you started! Set up your call by going to www.weightlossbypete.com/strategy.
Talk to you soon!
