DON’T CHEAT, TREAT! Why You Should Kiss ‘Cheat Meals’ Goodbye D o you remember the Buzzfeed article about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s “epic cheat meals” that went viral last fall? The photos were jaw- dropping: 12 double-dough pizzas! A foot-high stack of pancakes! A hundred pieces of sushi! A “free day” is an intentional practice, and you can treat yourself to one once a week, once every two weeks, or once a month without disrespecting your body. By designating a day as “free” or a treat, you can cut the negativity of “cheating” out of your life. Danette times her
It’s hard to imagine feeling good after eating all of that. However, it’s probably easy to remember the guilty pleasure of eating everything in sight after weeks or months of strict dieting. If you’ve been there, you know just how negative the whole “cheat” cycle is. That’s why Danette has opted out and would love for you to do the same! “I don’t actually believe in ‘cheat days’ because that implies that you’re cheating on yourself, that you’re doing something bad, and that’s a negative emotion to send to your body,” Danette explains. “I believe that every emotion we place on food, on water, on intention in life has an effect on us. That’s why I talk about ‘free days,’ which are days when you can go off your plan. I always incorporate one free day every single week. That’s because I have built up a good discipline over time of eating clean, healing foods that honor my body.”
free days to align with parties, trips, or other special events (yes, a Saturday night is a special event!) so she can indulge without guilt.
“Life is meant to be enjoyed, and free days are actually good for you!” Danette says. “They keep your mind in this state of ‘I get to have’ instead of ‘I don’t get to have.’ As soon as you say, ‘I can’t have this,’ or ‘I can’t have that,’ your body goes into craving mode and wants to have it.” Treating yourself to a free day won’t hurt you, damage your cells, or derail you from your goals. In fact, the next day you might feel better than ever because your brain won’t have stressed your body with denial. To learn more tricks for kicking negativity to the curb, search “stress” on DanetteMay.com.
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