breakinglight11 | Assorted musings of a treat day (Reply)

There's a trick to really enjoying a cheat day, or a treat day, as

john_in_boston wisely suggested I call it. Because it's the one day a week when I can eat whatever I want, my impulse to is overload on all the stuff I can't normally eat-- processed carbs, refined sugar, starch. I want to down a bag of goldfish crackers, or a whole cake, or some greasy breaded fried thing. But when I do that, I usually end up feeling sick because my body is adapted now to only really high-quality nutrition. It means I'm sorry I ate whatever I ate, and I feel frustrated with myself for having wasted my one free day a week.

So I feel best when I eat a little bit of everything on that day. A balanced plate, with protein, fiber, vitamins, starch, carbs, and a little bit of sugar for dessert, allows me to enjoy the stuff I miss during the week while not overloading my system. This week I ate the leftovers from the dinner I served for my play reading last night, which included chicken Normandy, broccoli, little potatoes, and a beautiful piece of cake made by Sam for dessert. It felt really indulgent, and I actually really enjoyed it.

I am not a moderator. I do much better with abstaining. My brain likes firm rules to follow when it comes to eating. So telling myself, "You can do this at this time, and that at that time" really cuts down on the anxiety I have around eating. I have felt more relaxed and more comfortable on this diet than I have about food in ages. Probably for some people dieting is an additional source of stress, but for me it actually makes me feel relieved.