There's No Such Thing as Cheating

October 16, 2003

>

> > There's No Such Thing as Cheating

> >

> > There's No Such Thing as Cheating

> > By Chad Tackett, President of Global Health and Fitness

> >

> > There's no right or wrong way to eat. Healthy eating is all about

> > motivation, balance, and flexibility. There will be times when you

> > eat a high-fat meal or eat beyond fullness, or when your schedule

> > gets so busy that you miss a work- out. This happens. It's normal.

> > But it's very important that you don't get down on yourself and

> > abandon your new healthy lifestyle when this happens.

> >

> > If you're like most people, your reaction to these diet/ fitness

> > obstacles is guilt. You feel as if all your hard work has been for

> > nothing. " I blew it; I was doing so well. Oh well, I might as well

> > enjoy this weekend and start over on Monday. " Or even worse: " I just

> > don't have the motivation or will power to start over and be

> > successful. I quit. " Feeling defeated, many people discontinue the

> > healthy living and return to their old routine until some mythical

> > time in the future: " Maybe this spring will be a better time to start

> > over again. " This kind of scenario is a perfect example of the diet

> > mentality at work.

> >

> > An all-or-nothing attitude is why so many people have so little

> > success; we choose structured programs because they relieve us from

> > making choices for ourselves. A properly designed program makes

> > sense, but expecting to stick to a structured eating and exercise

> > plan for an extended period of time without ever deviating makes no

> > sense at all. In fact, this is so unrealistic as to be a set-up for

> > failure. If you begin to change your habits with the assumption that

> > any deviation from your plan will ruin it, you might as well not even

> > begin. Life is full of unplanned obstacles, distractions, and

> > temptations. Your best approach is to prepare for them, keeping an

> > open mind and maintaining a positive attitude.

> >

> > It's very important that you begin your healthier lifestyle with an

> > understanding that there will be days when you will stray from

> > healthy eating and exercising. Before you begin, tell yourself that

> > no matter what happens, rather than abandoning your new lifestyle,

> > you'll resume your healthy habits as soon as you can; it is equally

> > important that you feel confident, not guilty, about doing so. What-

> > ever the temptation or obstacle is, keep in mind that it's not wrong

> > or bad to eat fattening foods once in a while or to miss a workout.

> > Just remember to resume your healthy lifestyle. If you keep moving

> > forward and you don't let guilt and discouragement stop your program

> > all together, you'll eventually have improved eating and exercise

> > habits.

> >

> > With this approach, there is no such thing as cheating. When we feel

> > we are cheating, we often punish ourselves; we make ourselves feel

> > guilty, frustrated and defeated. Replacing the negative concept

> > of " cheating " with the idea of " straying from healthy habits " takes

> > away the all-or- nothing emphasis on right and wrong. If you treat

> > every deviation from your plan as a failure, you won't get very far

> >

> > Substituting the idea of a brief straying away from your plan instead

> > of feeling guilty, and learning to return more and more quickly to

> > healthier habits, is more realistic. It's also easier and more

> > enjoyable.

> >

> > In the non-diet approach, all foods are legal. There are no " good "

> > foods or " bad " foods. You must believe this. Sudden changes and/or

> > drastic restrictions of high-fat foods when you have a preference or

> > craving for fat will result in feelings of deprivation. No one can or

> > should go through life depriving themselves of foods they really

> > enjoy. You must learn how to make gradual healthy changes to the

> > foods you love while experimenting with and learning to appreciate

> > new flavors and textures.

> >

> > A recent survey showed that more than 75 percent of people feel

> > guilty about eating so-called " bad " foods. The greatest obstacle to

> > adopting healthy eating habits is guilt. Attaching a value to foods

> > only makes you feel bad for eating them. When you do decide to eat a

> > high-fat food, enjoy it. Don't beat your- self up over it. Just make

> > a special effort to eat low-fat the rest of the day. Remember, there

> > is nothing wrong with splurging now and then. It can even be good for

> > you if the satisfaction of a higher-fat meal that you've been craving

> > helps you stick with a low-fat lifestyle the rest of the time.

> >

> > If you're having a special diet meal that's different from what the

> > rest of your family or friends are eating, you'll feel as though

> > you're being punished. In order to be successful in changing your

> > eating habits, you must look forward to and enjoy each meal you eat.

> > This doesn't mean that you have to learn to like rice cakes and

> > celery. It means you must learn how to make simple changes in the

> > foods you love.

> >

> > Perhaps one of your favorite meals is fried chicken, a baked potato,

> > and salad. Small changes in how the food is prepared can turn this

> > traditionally high-fat meal into a low-fat well- balanced one. Simply

> > marinating a skinless chicken breast in sweet and sour sauce, rolling

> > it in bread crumbs, and baking it makes the chicken a lot less

> > fattening than if it's fried. Instead of butter or regular sour cream

> > on your potato, try low-fat or nonfat sour cream or a reduced fat

> > ranch dressing. Try using a non-fat or low-fat salad dressing rather

> > than a regular dressing and adding as many vegetables to your salad

> > as possible for their additional flavor, texture and nutrients. Any

> > or all of these changes drastically reduce the amount of fat in the

> > meal without sacrificing flavor or feelings of satisfaction.

> >

> > Healthy eating patterns can only occur when you're enjoying all the

> > foods you eat. If you're eating low-fat foods just to be healthy but

> > without enjoying the flavors and textures or how they make you feel,

> > this most likely won't be a permanent change. However, if you begin

> > enjoying healthy foods, you're far more likely to stick with healthy

> > eating for life.

> >

> > Many people also enjoy eating out but associate this with being " bad "

> > or eating " illegal " foods. Fortunately, it is very possible to eat a

> > healthy, low-fat meal in a restaurant. You don't need to forego your

> > favorite foods or eat before you go out with friends or family. The

> > same decision-making process occurs whether you eat at home or go out

> > to a restaurant. Many people think that they have two options when

> > eating: eating for taste and pleasure or eating for health. As you

> > learn and practice healthy eating techniques, these two options will

> > become one and the same. Good luck and enjoy all the wonderful

> > benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle.

> >

November 18, 2003

> Subject:There's No Such Thing as Cheating