Cheating!

On our facebook group page there were some questions about cheating while eating Paleo.  Some people wanting to know how to do it “right”.  I am going to address those questions via this blog post.

Ok so let me get something out there.  I am not an expert.  I am a newbie just like all or most of you.  I did some research on the subject and found that some say to cheat others say not to.  It all comes down to you and what you want to do.

If you must cheat, do it wisely.  On the Being Primal page (http://www.beingprimal.com/4-ways-to-increase-your-confidence-to-fast-track-your-paleo-results ) Dean cheats 2-3 days a week.  Nothing more, nothing less.  But the way he does it is probably why he does so well. 

He starts by picking 2-3 days in the week and always cheats on those days.  The trick is that one day is 48 hours from the second and the 3^rd day is 72 hours from that day.  So, for example:  Cheat day #1 Mondays, Cheat day #2 Wednesdays, and Cheat day #3 Saturday.  He uses these days of the week and has a rule to cheat only on these days.  I believe he is following the 80/20 rule.  80% of the time he eats paleo and 20% he cheats, or eats un-paleo foods.  I think this may mean that if you cheat, it is not an all-day long cheat fest.  This means one meal or one snack each day of cheating.

Now if you are going to cheat, what will it be?

Fruit-Enjoy a fruit you normally don’t eat much of

VegeOut!

Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa or Darker!

PaleoGoGo app shows food at Restaurants that are Paleo-ish, meaning they aren’t as bad, maybe use one of those as a cheat meal if you go out.

Try not to eat gluten as the damage lasts for weeks!

Go for QUALITY! That piece of candy sounds good but there is nothing in it!  Why not eat something worth your cheating!

A lot of websites say that cheating is bad.  I personally think that maybe it throws you off that plateau.  No way to tell unless you try.  Plus some may find it helps while for another it is the Antichrist!  Everyone is different.

Try to keep a food log.  I am thinking about doing one.  You put what you ate, how it made you feel etc.  That way you know if that thing you cheat with makes you feel miserable for days!

Hope this helps!