How I Felt When I Cheated On My Diet
Healthy Living At Any Age
We’ve all done it! When was the last time YOU cheated on your diet? Did you regret it?
The Back Story.
My family and I celebrated my daughter’s birthday at their favorite barbecue restaurant. It used to be my favorite, too, before I was plant-based. Although this restaurant focuses on meats, they also offer several vegetable sides. I usually order unsweetened applesauce and a baked potato - no butter, sour cream, or cheese. I put barbecue sauce on the potato. Boring.
As we were seated, each family member talked about what they wanted to eat. Does your family do that? Share ideas about food choices? As they talked, I suddenly decided to skip the boring potato and applesauce and instead, go for a pulled pork barbecue sandwich and French fries. My mouth watered and I smiled as I thought about it! I enjoyed the anticipation - imagining the tender pork and the spicy barbecue sauce. The crisp, hot fries with ketchup. Yum!
The food smelled delicious, but it looked like a lot of food. I started with the fries. They were hot but just a bit greasy. The pork sandwich was piled high with tender chunks of meat. Hmmm. I was having second thoughts. That was enough meat for two people.
The Letdown
Now, as I reflect on the meal, I don’t feel regret or guilt about “cheating” on my diet.
I feel disappointed. Not disappointed in myself, but in the food. The reality wasn’t at all as wonderful as the anticipation. The meat was properly cooked. No fat. Tender. But now I realize that I missed the crunch of fresh vegetables. The variety of textures and flavors. Even the bright colors. The birthday meal was BROWN.
A Learning Experience
I learned a lot from this minor rebellion against my food rules. First, I learned that no one is judging me except me. I was the only person who made a big deal out of it. My sweet family was somewhat surprised but not judgmental.
Second, I realized I’m blessed that my normal diet has variety. I love the orange and yellow bell peppers, the dark green baby spinach leaves, the tiny red tomatoes in my salads and wraps. I missed the hint of sweetness from dried cranberries and the nutty flavor of chopped pecans or walnuts.
A Plant-based Diet Is All About Mindset
Stop complaining about what you don’t have, and thank God for the amazing foods that you do have.
Plan your meals as if each one is a celebration of healthy living.
Be thankful that these wonderful natural foods are helping you live a longer, active life.
Experimenting with new recipes and food combinations can be a fun thing. Don’t be afraid to try.
Have you ever built up a meal in your mind only to be disappointed? Tell me about it in the comments!
I’m curious if you had any negative physical reaction to this meal? I’ve certainly found that when I over-indulge in any way, I usually pay for it in terms of feeling poorly for a few hours or day.
For me, it’s not about the guilt of whether I cheated on my diet, luckily I’m past that. My issue is that when I eat something to be polite or I’m in a situation where the hostess says “just try it” I pay for it dearly on the other side.
Not long ago somebody coerced me into trying their homemade chocolate covered pretzels. I said no thank you numerous times before having to give in to “just take one bite” to see how it tastes.
I’m brutal. I don’t have a poker face. So not only did it taste terrible due to the sugar and white flour, but it left a yucky taste in my mouth and added to the already upset stomach I had trying to be polite eating the entire rest of the stuff offered.
People have the best intentions. But saying no to food or drink for me in this part of the country is an issue. I’m in a fast food/meat and potatoes/ice cream part of the country. It’s the culture. No, I simply don’t eat like these wonderful souls, but seriously it’s a challenge to stay healthy and stick with what works for me in the food and drink arena.
I’m thankful for bountiful food and drink, but I prefer healthy and nutritious over decadent and ‘bad for my diet.’