It's not Cheating, It's a Choice.
I have been at the weight loss, fitness, living healthy game for over 25 years now and I am here to tell you that I have learned a lot over the years. Part of my reason for starting my Swensational Life page was to share some of that knowledge with the hope that someone might get it sooner than I did. Often I will mention Weight Watchers(WW) in my blog posts because I have been a lifetime member since 1987 and although I am at my goal weight, I still attend on a regular basis because I like to share and support others and frankly, this old dog can learn new tricks.
Recently while attending a WW meeting, I overheard a conversation that made me stop in my tracks. One of the women was using a word that literally made my skin crawl and forced me to interupt their conversation. What was that word? Was she using foul language? Well, not exactly, but in some ways, that's how I feel about the word "Cheating".
Cheating is such a negative word and whenever I hear someone use it, it is almost always accompanied with "bad" and "guilty", which are two other words that I just don't like to use or hear. Here's the thing...If you are truly a WW member, the program says there is nothing you can't have, so tell me, if that's the case, how can you say you were cheating? It's like taking an open book test and saying you cheated. In 1 Corinthians 10:23, it states that "Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial." I actually had "1 Corinthians 10:23" tattooed on my right wrist as a constant reminder to myself. I have to say, there are many times I choose not to eat something because as I begin to reach for it, I see that tattoo. Now, I am not suggesting you go out and get a tattoo, but what I want you to start thinking about is choices.
Every choice we make has a consequence. Some consequences are beneficial, while others are not. Some of the choices that I make on a regular basis that are truly beneficial are as follows:
1. Do a minimum of 10 minutes of exercise daily. Usually it's more, but at least 10.
2. Write down everything I eat, even if my choices were not beneficial to my current goals.
3. Keep healthy snacks at home and with me when I go out.
4. Read articles about health and fitness to keep me motivated.
5. Park farther away from the store and use stairs whenever I can.
These are just a handful of what I do. But what about those times when the choices I make would be considered less than beneficial. These are the times that many people would consider cheating. They might say I was bad or that I should feel guilty for eating a particular food. Below I will list how I approach these choices and how maybe you might be able to break the cycle of "I cheated, therefore I am bad and now I should feel guilty", which has a tendency to lead to a road of self-destruction.
1. If I chose to eat something that is less than beneficial, first and foremost, I own it! Nobody is holding a gun to my head, it is my decision.
2. I enjoy it! I mean, what's the point of eating something really yummy if all you're going to do is beat yourself up over it. Really take the time to taste and savor it.
3. If the serving size is kind of large, share it with someone, or save half for later. I do this with dessert when my husband and I eat out. Many times we will just order one dessert and then share it.
4. Track it! Write it down, account for it.
5. Move on and continue to make beneficial choices.
Life is too short to feel guilty or bad. If the choices you have been making are not getting you the results you want, then you may need to choose to bypass some of the extremely tasty but not so beneficial foods out there. But should you find yourself faced with a choice between fresh fruit or a slice of apple pie, if you choose the apple pie, enjoy it! Remember, it's not what we do once in a while, but rather what we do on a regular basis that really makes the difference and that apple pie is not cheating, it's just a choice.
