In other words cheating. What? Too soon? Well, we all cheat when it comes to our diets. One rule in particular I always hear about it is having a cheat day. The theory behind this is that if you have a cheat day you’ll be less likely to go off your diet. This is great in theory. It starts off with having a few extra indulgences on your cheat day. I find though things may get out of hand and fast. Just as Tiger probably started off with one slip up, it would eventually turn into a marriage killer. This rings true with your diet.
We are all in a relationship with our bodies. What type of relationship do you want to have? A relationship built on lies and deceit? A power struggle? An abusive relationship? A healthy, happy, stable relationship? The choice is always yours. You decide what type of life you are going to live. You are the adult when it comes to your eating habits. No one can force you to eat something. It’s all a choice you make. You and you alone are the boss of you.
Back to cheating. In my humble opinion don’t do it, ever! This doesn’t mean you can't have that piece of chocolate cake at Timmy’s birthday this Saturday because you can. Make these indulgences apart of your every day life after you get to where you want to be health wise and make sure they fit into your daily and long term dietary goals. When you are trying to reach a goal, that should be your number one priority.
Here’s my story:
When I was 19 I became very sick. I was taking roughly 23 pills daily and was only allowed to eat certain foods. The main food items I had to cut out were dairy, wheat, yeast and gluten. At the time there wasn’t as many food items on the shelves in the grocery that met my requirements. Even at health food stores it was hard to find food that met all of my needs. Sure there were some items but not like today. Today you walk into any old grocery store and find something with these certain dietary restrictions and it will taste pretty good, almost like the real thing.
My lowest point in my food life was right after I diagnosed. My Mother had taken me to the grocery store to gather all my new eats. Moms know how to make everything better and my Mother in particular has quite the talent for it. She made me and my illness feel special and cared for. Unfortunately, that all disappeared when I was sitting in my dorm room craving a grilled cheese sandwich, my favorite comfort food. I wasn’t going to let this stop me from enjoying life and was determined to make my own grill cheese sandwich.
I took out my wheat free, yeast free, gluten free cardboard bread and added my rice “plastic looking” cheese to the center of the two slices. I continued to take out my toaster oven. (Now, I know you’re not supposed to have a toaster oven in your dorm room. I had special circumstances.) I placed my little makeshift grill cheese in the toaster oven. I continued to watch my grill cheese with anticipation. I was so excited for the grill cheese and couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into something so yummy and gooey. As I stared through the glass onto my grill cheese, my smile started to turn upside down. I watched as the edges of the bread turned upwards away from the rice “plastic looking” cheese. Then the buzzer went off. With a positive attitude and a grumbling stomach I took out my little sandwich and had my first bite. My first bite was followed by tears. I sat in my dorm room crying and couldn’t stop crying and continued to eat my grill cheese. To my surprise and disappointment my grill cheese didn’t have any of the yummy gooeyness that I was so craving. Instead this grill cheese tasted just like it looked, two pieces of cardboard with a slice of plastic in the middle. That was my lowest moment in my food life.
Now, I had to change my diet to save my life and to get better. Eventually, I did get better and eventually once I was healed I was able to add certain foods to my diet. You may not be in such a predicament but still your life is just as important. So you need to get yourself to the healthy point you want to be at and then you can start adding more foods into your diet.
Figure out what is cheating in your mind when it comes to your diet and don’t do it. We all make sacrifices. When one gets married or in a committed relationship you make a promise to be true to your partner. The ground rules are set for what is considered cheating. Of course you’re still going to enjoy life. Commitment is not a death sentence. You love the Opera and your partner doesn’t. Not a bad thing, just go with a friend. In your diet you love fried chicken, find a recipe that is still healthy but can satisfy your craving.
Long story short, no cheating. Find something that can satisfy your cravings with out derailing you from your overall health goals. What can you live with and what you can’t live without? Let your conscience be your guide, as my father would always say.
Here is a very yummy fried chicken recipe to try from Hungry Girl. She has a ton of yummy, healthy recipes. Check her our at www.hungry-girl.com.
HG Fiber Fried Chicken
Ingredients:
6 oz. Tyson (or another brand**) Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (raw); cut lengthwise into 5 strips
1/2 cup Fiber One cereal
1/4 cup Egg Beaters, Original
1/4 tsp. Lawry's Garlic Salt
pepper (to taste)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Add Garlic Salt and pepper to crumbs. Place crumbs in one small dish and Egg Beaters in another. Next, coat raw chicken strips with egg substitute and then with crumb mixture. Place strips on a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Spray a light mist of nonstick spray on top of strips and place in oven. Cook for 10 minutes, and then turn strips over. Add another light mist of nonstick spray and cook for an additional 8 - 10 minutes (until chicken is fully cooked and Fiber One looks crispy). Enjoy! Serves 1.
Serving Size: 5 pieces (entire recipe)
Calories: 240
Fat: 3.25g
Sodium: 805mg
Carbs: 26g
Fiber: 14g
Sugars: 0.5g
Protein: 42.5g
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