Are you allowing yourself a cheat day for the 4th of July?
I'm debating if I should let myself have those cheeseburgers and deserts and stuff that we have annually. Part of me is saying no, but part of me is saying, "oh my god chill it's ONE day out of the year, you deserve a break." I have no idea! What are you ladies planning?
Well, as you can see from my little weight numbers... I still have a long way to go.
But we've all been dieting long enough to know a few things anyway, haven't we?
I say, if you're not doing something like a "ketosis" based diet where one day can send your body into some difficult places to recover from...
It's a good chance to practice "living", and making better choices than you might have before. It doesn't have to be a "pig out" just because you eat non-diet food.
This is forever. And I believe that if we think of Dieting as total deprivation...eventually we crack and rebel.
Normal eating involves days or moments of indulgence.
Maybe have a good plan to workout that morning and the next day a bit extra.
hmmm, I don't think I am...I think i will eat what I want within reason. And just try to keep it to my plan. but i'm not going to do the "eat til I'm stuffed and feel horrible" thing.
It's a good chance to practice "living", and making better choices than you might have before. It doesn't have to be a "pig out" just because you eat non-diet food. This is forever. And I believe that if we think of Dieting as total deprivation...eventually we crack and rebel.
This is excellent advice!
For me, in a lot of situations, it's relatively easy to stay on plan because I can't wheat, so that puts many foods off limits. But at a family gathering, there are 5 of us who can't do gluten or wheat, so there are many more options...and this will be the situation for me on the 4TH. So, yes, I might indulge in a bit of gluten-free pasta salad and gluten-free brownies, but I'm not going to go completely crazy. It's a time to enjoy AND a time to practice good life choices.
I don't really celebrate this holiday except to watch fireworks. So, no, I'll eat the seasonal whole foods that are in right now. This is just not a special enough occasion for me.
I don't eat fresh corn on the cob very often, so that will be an unusual treat. And bing cherries are on sale everywhere, and I love them!
It will be more food than usual, but I'm hosting so I'm making things that are moderately healthy...grilled chicken (and ribs...will prob eat one small rib and a chicken breast), fruit salad, a big salad w/ heirloom tomatoes and mozzarella, grilled corn.
I don't know what there is going to be in front of me so I can't say yes and I can't say no. I'm not going to sit there and pick like a bird when everybody is eating, but I'm also not going to stuff my face with everything in sight. I'll cheat a little bit, but not a whole lot.
Sugar holidays are my problem: Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, etc.
BBQ holidays are actually on plan for me because I don't eat enough protein. The only time I eat red meat is at a BBQ and afterwards, I feel pretty good. I get a good dose of protein, fat, and iron.
Although, I have to keep potato salad and desserts at arms length. When I indulge in them, I don't feel good at all.
And by that... I mean that I can eat what I want (that's how my personal diet works), within reason. I have to stay within my calorie limit (for the 4th I'm going to put it at 1400, because I know I WILL overeat if I put it any higher, my normal diet number is around 1500-1600), but I can have whatever I want. Meaning, if I want a brownie, I have to have a tiny piece. Or if I want a burger, I have half of one, and so on.
No, really its only one day out of many. Summer can be full of on plan bbqs (love grilled veggies). My plan is to go kayaking or biking or hiking on July 4th (depending on weather), and then July 5th (day off), plan to go to the gym. Food will be normal.
This holiday is two-fold for us...it doubles as our anniversary: 12 years. So yeah, it's not going to be a perfect diet day. But it will be close. We're going out to dinner on both the 3rd and the 4th, but I can make healthy choices while I'm there and I can be on plan for breakfast, lunch and snacks.
Are you allowing yourself a cheat day for the 4th of July?
It's a time to enjoy AND a time to practice good life choices.
So yeah, it's not going to be a perfect diet day. 
But it will be close. We're going out to dinner on both the 3rd and the 4th, but I can make healthy choices while I'm there and I can be on plan for breakfast, lunch and snacks.
