🚩 Needing a cheat day is a red flag that your diet isn’t working for you.

Otherwise, you wouldn’t feel the need to cheat on it. 🤯

When you’re satisfied with what you’re eating day-to-day, you’re much less likely to feel the need to overindulge. 😊

The big problem with cheat days:

They perpetuate a binge/restrict cycle & not a healthy relationship with food & eating.

‘Cheat’ implies you’re doing something bad or wrong. 

You’re not cheating on anything.  You’re just EATING.

Monday- Saturday:
🥗🍋🥦🍎🥚🍓🥒🫑🥬🥕🍵

Sunday (cheat day):
🍕🍔🍟🌭🍩🍰🍦🧁🍭🍺🍷🍹

🍩 If you’re really craving a donut, eat one– Don’t wait for a cheat day and eat six. And then a whole pizza. 🍕 And then a pint of ice cream. 🍨 All because it’s your one day to eat whatever you want since you’re going to go back to restricting tomorrow. 😕

Tips:

💖 Switch from an all-or-nothing mindset to one of balance. I personally love the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time choose wholesome, nutrient-dense foods and 20% of the time allow yourself to enjoy other foods. Or maybe you feel more comfortable with 90/10 or 70/30. Do what feels right to YOU to support your physical and mental health.

💖 Drop the good/bad food mentality. Food has no moral value. You’re not a good person for eating “good” food and you’re not a bad person for eating “bad” food. See all foods as deserving a place in your diet if you enjoy them. Foods differ in their nutritional value, but it’s what your diet looks like as a whole that matters. Variety is a healthy thing for getting the wide range of nutrients you need plus the pleasure and satisfaction you crave.

💖 Build trust with your body and around food. It makes sense that you feel no control and want to binge on foods you restrict. The way to break this is to begin to allow them back into you diet. Knowing that you can have that chocolate again tomorrow or another time takes away the urgency to eat it all right now. Once you realize that you can have anything you want, those foods lose their allure and power.

💖 Figure out the reasons why your current diet feels limiting. Why do you feel you need a cheat day? Where can you fit in any favorite foods you’re avoiding?

Honor your cravings.

Enjoy food mindfully and with self-awareness.

And without guilt or shame.

Notice what feels good to your body and what doesn’t.

Give yourself permission to incorporate those cheat day foods sensibly into your diet!

If this sounds scary, but you want to get there… I can help you.

All👏🏻foods👏🏻can👏🏻fit!!

I love reading about the science of how food affects our bodies AND anything having to do with the psychological aspects of eating.

  The two are definitely intertwined.

Having an understanding of each is crucial to being a dietitian in private practice working with people looking to manage everything from diabetes to digestive distress to disordered eating.  This book perfectly combines food science with intuitive eating and it’s absolutely packed with tons of important information and practical tips.

👍🏻👍🏻 Two thumbs up for Just Eat It by Laura Thomas, PhD.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to get off the dieting roller coaster, stop obsessing over food and figure out how to just eat normally again.  If you struggle with a poor body image or orthorexia (an unhealthy preoccupation with healthy eating) this is a must read.

Just Eat It explains how the messages we’re exposed to about food and our bodies can cause disordered eating habits and a negative body image.  There are reasons why our relationship with food is so unhealthy and why so many people hate their bodies and stress over everything they’re eating.  It’s basically been taught to us.

It’s something we’ve learned and now it’s something we have to unlearn.

You will not find any meal plans or diet dos & don’ts in this book. 😮‍💨

Just Eat It emphasizes the importance of self-compassion and mindfulness– Along with how to work at these things to help you go from disordered eating to intuitive eating and feeling good about yourself.

You’ll read about giving yourself permission to eat (and addressing all the fears that come with that).  You’ll learn the steps to take to help you trust your body to guide you towards what, when and how much to eat.

She explains how by taking foods off a pedestal they lose a lot of their allure.  When you stop restricting them, they actually become less exciting and tempting.  A few more valuable things you’ll learn are:  The biology of how fullness & satiety work, how to tune in to your body cues & feel your fullness, how to pay attention to the way different foods make you feel, how hunger hormones work and how to differentiate between emotional & physical hunger. You’ll find out how to deal with your (irrational) inner food critic and rewire your brain. She also debunks several nutrition myths that may be preventing you from properly nourishing yourself.

I loved this book so much because it aligns with a lot of what I work on with my clients at Be the Change Nutrition.  Yes, we talk about food, but creating a healthy relationship with food & your body involves so much more and that’s what you’ll find in this book.

If you’re not living your happiest, healthiest life because of your food and body issues…

🍩Just Read It! 🍩 

The first step towards change is 👀AWARENESS 👀of your behaviors.

✨You need to know and understand your habits in order to form new ones.✨

Keeping a wellness journal like this for a few days (or longer) can give you valuable information.

Journaling makes you MINDFUL of everything you’re eating & drinking, how you’re sleeping, your movement and your mood.

All of these are interconnected and contribute to your health. 🍴💧💤🏃🏻‍♀️😬☺️

Reflect after a few days.

Are your meals and snacks balanced? 🍗🍠🥦🥑

How are your moods and energy levels and how do they affect your eating? 😢🙂🤪

Same with sleep. 🥱

What kind of activity are you doing to move your body? 🏌🏻‍♂️🤾🏻‍♂️🚴🏻🏋🏻

Are you eating fruits and vegetables daily? 🍎🍌🥗🥕

How much added sugar are you consuming? 🍭🍫🍰🍦

Do you find yourself reaching for food when you’re not even hungry? 🧐

You will notice what’s going well 😀along with what you’re not happy with. 🙈

I’ve also included space for setting personal goals for your day & remembering something you have to be thankful for.🙏🏻

There is also room for acknowledging an accomplishment, identifying something you want to improve upon and brainstorming ideas for what you want to eat tomorrow.

And don’t forget, your dietitian is always here to help you in your wellness journey.

💗💗💗💗💗

Print your free Food and Wellness Journal sheet here!