Is Cheating REALLY That Bad?

Is Cheating REALLY That Bad?

Day 5-8

     The way I look at it is cheating is never a good thing . . . on a test . . . a spouse . . . and especially on a diet!!  Easter Sunday just passed and my family and I went to the Danvers Port Yacht Club for brunch this year. Usually we stay in or visit one or more of my family members mainly because of my grandma's medical situation but this year we chose to go out and celebrate.  DPYC put on such a delicious brunch with roughly 5 stations; breakfast food, homemade pasta stations, 2 carving stations and a dessert station.  I'm not going to lie to you, I was very nervous going there because I wasn't sure if I was able to control my cravings!  I mean the delicious food was right in front of my eyes . . . pretty much surrounding my table!!  My goal going in was this: no dinner rolls (which are my downfall), everything in moderation (as an Italian we don't really understand that phrase), if I chose to have something "bad" I would only have that one guilty pleasure, get a HUGE plate of salad (which was every so conveniently near the pasta station) and lastly, every time I filled my plate I required fruit and veggies to account for 75% of my plate.
     Round one *ding* *ding* . . . . My first plate consisted of one spoon full of eggs (I usually am not a huge fan of but it was the "healthiest" option at the time and it offered protein), one spoon full of potatoes and 1/2 my plate of strawberries (which were conveniently placed next to the chocolate fountain).  Round 2 . . . . HUGE plate of greek salad and more berries (they were really delicious and fresh) and Round 3 . . . a few more strawberries (if I had anymore I would have probably turned into one) and a small portion of fettuccine alfredo (yes I know not the best option and there lys the CHEATING PART) Overall, my portions where 1/3 of what I would have eaten but I took my time, filled up of salad and fruits and even sampled a little pasta!  I was amazed that my father even noticed (he usually doesn't notice what I eat but commented that my portions were small and on the healthier side) how I was "controlling" what I put in front of me.
     Looking back at all the "rounds" (sounds awful doesn't it!!) it was my first holiday that I didn't feel stuffed, bloated or even "fat" (dreaded word).  For dessert I chose a square of rice crispy treat (oops cheated again, wait I'm on a "diet" right??!?!?) covered in chocolate from that fountain screaming my name.  As I ate it all I could think of was OMG! Im eating something filled with sugar, fat and chemicals . . . bad bad BAD!!  Then I thought, Kiara your beating yourself up over ONE FRIGGIN' RICE CRISPY TREAT!!!  Stop that negative thinking!!!  YES the stupid treat was not the best option. I just reminded myself that I'm in control of my body, my thoughts and what I eat.  I am human!  This is where I got to thinking . . . is cheating apart of "dieting", a "way of life" or what we tell ourselves to fell better about that one rice crispy treat . . . . . . I have come to the conclusion that some women tend to make excuses for their eating habits.  When I attended +Weight Watchers  (roughly a millions times hahahah) if the women gained weight they used the following: "Oh I have my period", "I'm up because I just ate carbs last night and I haven't digested them yet", "Well I had one bad food so it all went to hell this week" and my favorite was "Oh I'm up because I didn't use the same scale from last time I weighted in".  Excuses are like assholes, everyone has one! You have gained weight because you didn't follow the program, ate too much and now your making excuses for why you weight more now then you did last week!  Sometimes I used to think to myself, well I had a banana for breakfast, salad for lunch so it's okay if I go out to the Cheesecake Factory have one of their pasta dishes (and of course bread).  NO!!! It's NOT okay hahahah I just UNDID everything that I worked at the whole day!!  So something that I need to work on is my thought process.  Am I the only one here ladies?? Even gentlemen???  Does this happen to you???
     Cheating . . . is this a good way of thinking or will this just act like weed . . . a gateway "drug".  Perfection is not key here but the achievement of healthy eating is.  Feeling better about yourself, looking in the mirror and seeing someone you LOVE instead of picking out all your flaws.  I guess you might need an attitude adjustment as well as a eating healthy.  When I was at my thinest, I would look in the mirror and STILL find something I didn't like about myself.  I was discussing this with one of my friends at a friends birthday party this past Saturday.  It doesn't matter how thin I got, my attitude needed to change. It's not okay to skip meals (I see my friends do this on a daily basis), it's not okay to eat "filler" foods (similar to "healthy" microwave dinners) and most of all it's not okay to be negative.  So lets get to it ladies!!!  Find a balance, healthy eating and STOP being hard on ourselves!!  BE POSITIVE, Be happy and be-YOU-tiful ;)