Hello again, today I wanna get a little more specific on some of the ways we do our program that might be a little different than most diets, but we feel that helps us to keep this a long term way of living.
I’ve mentioned before that I try not to use the word diet, even though the word literally means the way we consume something, it does have so many negative ideas surrounding it, and a certain feeling of short term work.
Still we have a cheat day?
Why?
Isn’t it counterproductive in helping us reach our goals?
Actually, our cheat days are not so much about eating all the foods we don’t eat every other day.
One of the important components of our program on the diet end is our meal times and snack time. Each person eats at times based on their daily schedules, and makes sure to have 3 meals, and one snack if they want it. We also plan out our meals week by week to balance out our diets evenly. All of that for someone who hasn’t ever eaten at a specific time or considered the nutritional value of their food can be difficult to stick to, so our cheat day is just a day of the week where we don’t time our meals, or pay as much attention to what we eat.
The goal is not to undo all the good we did through the rest of the week, but to give ourselves a break from being so strict.
The better news?
If you consistently follow the diet and meal times through the rest of the week then when you do get to your cheat day, if you wait too long after your meal time to eat you’ll find you’re very hungry, and would’ve preferred to eat at your regular time. Also, after having followed the diet and portion sizes for at least a month, you should notice that you don’t want to over eat as much, your stomach has already adjusted to the smaller portions and types of food you eat through the rest of the week.
Do we ever lose cheat days?
Yes and no, I don’t take cheat days away from anyone, but I do ask each of my Hamsters (Members) to really consider how they have done throughout the week, and if they feel that they have put in enough hard work to earn a cheat day?
This doesn’t mean that 1 cheat throughout the week is grounds enough to forfeit a cheat day, but if they have missed more than 1 day of exercises, or had more than 1 small cheat, I ask them to consider if they think they will still reach their goal if they were to then also take their cheat day.
Accountability is a huge part of changing your health, and we all struggle with it at some point or another. That’s why joining programs and clubs, gyms and groups geared towards creating a community for those trying to lose weight and better their health are so effective as they give a sense of shared accountability.
But, day to day it can still be hard to make the right kinds of decisions for ourselves, when no one’s watching, and the fallout lays on us, we can often decide that we’re ok with back steps and let down. Our excuses can be perfect, and we often make deals and detours to justify why we’re willing to take the easy way.
One massive tool I’ve tried to develop and pass onto my Hamsters is the Rather Scale. The Rather Scale is in your mind, and it’s a way of asking yourself the serious question before you make a decision. I started this with myself more than a year ago, and I still use it everyday. The biggest key with this is to be truly and completely honest with yourself, this is how it works.
- Imagine a simple scale.
- On one side is your goal, dream or reward, your why for trying to live healthier, whether it’s a specific thing or place, or something you plan to do to celebrate. (Mine is an active trip to Thailand)
- On the other side is the thing in front of you, the unhealthy food, or skipping that exercise, or maybe even giving up.
- Which do you want more?
- Is it worth the bad choice being heavier and closer to your grasp? Is it worth being farther from your goal?
I hope this was helpful to you, if it was or wasn’t, or maybe you have some other idea that works better for you, either way I would love to hear your feedback.
GettingOurShitTogether 