I was really iffy on wether or not I would even post this, but after some time to think it through I figured what the hell. It's my blog and hiding the truth isn't going to change it.
I have been eating 100% paleo / clean for a little over a month now. The gains have been astronomical and since late December I have lost 12lbs (142 - 130) while still gaining muscle. The changes in my body are insane. While exercise has a lot to do with it, clean eating has been the moving force behind everything.
With the obligatory positive intro in place, it is now time to get to the nitty gritty.
Lately I have been craving some of my old favorites like MAD. I felt like if I didn't figure something in, I was going to give up and go back to my old habits. My solution is one many of you will scoff at - a 3 day cheat.
I chose to space my cheat over such a long time period because there were a lot of foods that I'd been craving and I wanted to satisfy all my itches (I know, not really reasonable) and I wanted to make sure that I was doing it in the healthiest way possible as opposed to one uber binge-fest (I have issues with binge eating and hope it is something I never do again).
Friday:
Throughout the day, I had a granola bar, 5 junior mints and kraft dinner.
Saturday:
Throughout the day I had hawaiian pizza, a chocolate chip muffin and an ice cap.
Sunday:
Throughout the day I had bread and butter, a poutine, and a cream egg.
Although I don't track, I did this weekend and kept in my calories each day. I made sure that everything I ate that wasn't a specific cheat that I had allowed myself was extremely high quality.
I exercised Friday and Sunday, but needed to keep at least one weekend rest day.
My findings:
Things taste different now, not as good as I remember (although many still yummy) and not as satisfying. Especially with the ice cap I had a HUGE energy burst - often resulting in me behaving like a buffoon in public - and then a massive carby crash. After each thing I got a little nauseaus, and especially the pizza almost made me vomit.
I will report at the end of the week on wether this was a good idea that curbed my cravings or not, and wether it had a large negative effect on my weight and fitness.
Although the paleo challenge I'm in is still on, when it ends on March 5th I think I will introduce a cheat meal once per week so that I don't feel the need to do something as drastic and likely damaging as what I did this weekend was.
What Worked:
- spreading out the 'cheats' to avoid a binge
- consuming high quality foods for everything aside from the cheats
- exercising: I feel this helped offset the carb crash just a little bit
What Didn't Work:
- eating so much garbage in a short time has me feeling a little sick
- doing it while still being in the paleo competition, lol
- one of the main authors on the paleo diet says that you can see the benefits of paleo by eating 100% paleo 80% of the time. I think cutting out everything is a great plan, but being the weak-willed woman I am it is important to have more foresight than I had in this past month.
Another thing:
Hubby and I weren't supposed to see each other this weekend. He got back from the field late Friday and the weather was so bad I asked him not to come down. But then Saturday while on my way to the school library to do some work, I turned right instead of left. Then left instead of right. And soon I was on my way to his town. 4 hours later I was there with little more than a couple of school books. I have a key to his room so I hid in a corner and asked him to go to his room and see if he could find something I left there. Scared the poop out of him - was awesome. It was nice to do something spontaneous and see the look on his face when I got there. It made me feel so special to see how happy I could make him, and I made him feel special as well by surprising him by doing a four hour drive just so we could spend 24 hours together. Well worth it. I look forward to next weekend (he'll be turning the big 2-7!) and we'll be able to spend the whole thing together.
what do you think of the cheat weekend - good or bad? what would you change? is it possible to eat 100% clean 100% of the time?
I'm thinking I might get a new asshole with this one ;)
Many people may not agree with me but I don't think you can eat 100% healthy 100% of the time. The closest I've ever seen is about 98%. I'm like you, I have to have one planned thing (not usually a cheat since I make sure it stays in my points/calorie range) that isn't healthy. Stops me from binging. My real question is..would those people who think you should be at 100% all the time think one bad item (not even a whole meal necessarily) that fits within your daily caloric limit count as a "cheat" (especially if the rest of the time you are eating vegetables, fruits, healthy proteins)?
ReplyDeleteWhat kinds of foods/meals are you eating that is helping you be so successful?
ReplyDeleteI personally don't think it is possible to eat 100% clean 100% of the time. I try abide by the 80% good and 20% enjoy theory. To be honnest I wouldn't want to eat 100% clean 100% of the time? Does that sound bad? But I want to be able to have a few nice things because I do love food. Life is too short not to have a few things you enjoy.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what about social situations? This is something I've been weighing up in my mind. Do you say no to going out with friends for dinners, coffees, drinks, whatever to stay 100% true to your weight loss plan or do you work small treats and events with friends into your plan? Who wants to lose weight to stay at home all the time?
I think it is good you spaced your treats out and kept an eye on the calories rather than haveing one big splurge or binge.
xx
I believe in cheating. I have actually discussed this at length with friends, in particular my friend who is currently wrapping up her masters to be a dietician. She has had the opportunity to work with some of the best weight loss coaches during her schooling, and she has validated that it is ok to "cheat" (in moderation of course). Here's the thing - living healthy is a forever thing...does that mean you can never have pizza again? No. It just means portion control. I think people are much more likely to binge if you're constantly denying yourself the things you want. For me... I just try to satisfy that craving when it comes up within reason. Plus, the science behind it is that sometimes our bodies need a little shake up - I saw on "The Revolution" the other day that if there is one day when we eat 50% more calories than every other day of the week, then our bodies will actually burn calories more effectively the next day. Helps our metabolisms from plateauing!!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I know everyone is different, but I will say that I don't eat perfect. In general I do, but I let myself have the bad stuff from time to time and I think I'm doing just fine on this journey. Yeah, if I had stuck to a REALLY strict diet, I probably could have been at goal weight in a year, but I wanted to make sure I adapted to something that was a sustainable lifestyle for me and I'm happy to say this is.
At the end of the day, its what's right for you that matters and that's no ones business but yours.
ReplyDeleteAwe! FUN that you surprised your hubby! And yeah, i build in cheat days every single week. You'd go insane without them. Good job!
ReplyDelete