It’s been a while since I’ve held myself accountable by publishing what I ate on my cheat day. That weekly post had to make way for newer ones, and as a result I have succumb to the very topic being discussed in this post. I have allowed my cheat day foods to bleed over into my non-cheat day… days.
If you decide to have a cheat day, it’s important to make sure that you only cheat on that day, otherwise it simply doesn’t work. But for whatever reason, I have been snacking (hate that word) on my cheat day foods throughout the week. Thankfully, I’ve caught the trend before it got out of control and now I’m going to share with you the tricks I use to curb this bad habit and fight the cravings!
Brown Bag It
Whenever you buy snacks, treats, or desserts, it’s hard to not eat them when they’re just laying around the house. So what I do is take all of them and put them in a big paper shopping bag and then staple it shut. After that, I take a sharpie and write down my cheat day (Saturday) in big letters on the bag.
By doing this, you are separating those foods (which should not be eaten everyday) from the good whole foods that comprise the lion’s share of your diet. That way you know that there is no barrier preventing you from eating vegetables on any given day, but the dark chocolate is off limits until your cheat day. You can even do this with ice cream in the freezer.
Don’t Keep It In The House
If you find that you are constantly ripping the big paper bag open and you just can’t help yourself, the best idea is to kick the treats out of the house. If they aren’t in the house, you will have to actively get off the couch, go to the super market to buy more.
It takes a premeditated act to actually get in the car and go for a ride, so you’ll probably be able to fight off the temptation a little better this way. You may only have to use this approach for the first couple of weeks.
Pick An Outside Location
If all else fails and you need some more help, try picking a restaurant that you love but isn’t exactly healthy and go there for your cheat day. For me, I love ribs so if I don’t want to keep snacks around the house, I’ll just go to my favorite rib joint on Saturday and get a full rack of ribs!
How do you fight the food cravings? Do you have an approach to keep yourself honest?
If you decide to have a cheat day, it’s important to make sure that you only cheat on that day, otherwise it simply doesn’t work. But for whatever reason, I have been snacking (hate that word) on my cheat day foods throughout the week. Thankfully, I’ve caught the trend before it got out of control and now I’m going to share with you the tricks I use to curb this bad habit and fight the cravings!
Brown Bag It
Whenever you buy snacks, treats, or desserts, it’s hard to not eat them when they’re just laying around the house. So what I do is take all of them and put them in a big paper shopping bag and then staple it shut. After that, I take a sharpie and write down my cheat day (Saturday) in big letters on the bag.
By doing this, you are separating those foods (which should not be eaten everyday) from the good whole foods that comprise the lion’s share of your diet. That way you know that there is no barrier preventing you from eating vegetables on any given day, but the dark chocolate is off limits until your cheat day. You can even do this with ice cream in the freezer.
Don’t Keep It In The House
If you find that you are constantly ripping the big paper bag open and you just can’t help yourself, the best idea is to kick the treats out of the house. If they aren’t in the house, you will have to actively get off the couch, go to the super market to buy more.
It takes a premeditated act to actually get in the car and go for a ride, so you’ll probably be able to fight off the temptation a little better this way. You may only have to use this approach for the first couple of weeks.
Pick An Outside Location
If all else fails and you need some more help, try picking a restaurant that you love but isn’t exactly healthy and go there for your cheat day. For me, I love ribs so if I don’t want to keep snacks around the house, I’ll just go to my favorite rib joint on Saturday and get a full rack of ribs!
How do you fight the food cravings? Do you have an approach to keep yourself honest?
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