Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Day 28: On Indulging

Well now. This post has been on my mind for a few days now. It's just now solidifying into a cohesive thought as I type this.

If you've read my blog in any capacity before, then you know I am a big believer in having a Cheat Day. However, my last couple of Cheat Days have been disappointing yet highly educational, especially in hindsight.

I've been approaching Cheat Day thus far with several planned indulgences in mind - stuff like buttered rolls, Indian food, gobs of almond butter and of course, that godforsaken Pumpkin Pie Blizzard. Over the preceding week, I have built these treats up in my head so much that by the time I get them, they almost can't help but be disappointing.; the buttered rolls were too starchy, I never got my Indian food, there IS such a thing as too much almond butter, and please do not get me started on that disgusting Blizzard (which I'm still lamenting).

Additionally, because I've got these treats so square in my mind for Cheat Day, I've found myself ignoring my natural desires for what sounds good right then and there. In other words, just because I crave Indian food on a Wednesday does not mean that I will still want it on a Saturday. I think I've done myself a Cheat Day disservice by deciding - days in advance - what I will indulge in for Cheat Day.

There is also one more problem that I haven't mentioned until now. Cheat Day - while it is meant to be a day of relaxing about food - does not necessarily mean that I have to go apeshit on the treats. I do not have to eat like I'm never going to have another meal, or another Cheat Day again. As much as Cheat Day is about relaxing, it is also about spending one day a week learning to eat like a real person who is not on a diet. In other words, it is about learning how to be intuitive about my eating. By stuffing myself full of guilty pleasures and ignoring what actually sounds good on that day, at that moment, I am actually robbing myself of the opportunity to learn how to eat.

So. Going forward.

I will still have FULL PERMISSION to eat whatever strikes my fancy on Cheat Day, whether it's Fettucini Alfredo, red velvet cupcakes or steamed broccoli. But instead of planning in advance all the things I want to indulge in and writing the menu for Cheat Day before it even arrives, I'm going to try to just go with the flow on Cheat Day. Waking up, without any expectations about food sounds grand; and definitely bang on with the spirit of Cheat Day.

So here's to some delicious eating AND some delicious learning for many Cheat Days to come.

1 comment:

JavaChick said...

I think that's the way to go. If cheat day rolls around and you still want the Indian Food (or whatever it was that you wanted earlier in the week), then you can go with it. But I agree, it will work better if you play it by ear and figure out what you want on that day.