Do You Cheat??

I am always hearing about people having "cheat days" "cheat meals" and "yolo-ing" in the foody world.  All these things basically mean eating food that is considered unhealthy or "bad" for you, and not worrying about the calories or macros.  Some people then say how they "got off track" or "had a bad day".  I would like to share my opinions on this subject! Feel free to skip this post if you simply don't care!

First of all, do I do "cheat meals".  My answer is simply NO.  Does that mean that I do not enjoy some foods that may be classified as unhealthy?! Heck no! I quite often will have some M&M's, Reese's Pieces, Pop Tarts, gummy bears, or other sugary bites of deliciousness.  

Does this mean that I am "cheating".  No, it means that I am eating something that I wanted! I spent many many years of my life not allowing myself any of these foods and I regret that! I missed out on birthday cake, snacks at the movies, baking with the kiddos and actually eating our creations...I even struggled to allow myself a bite of my own wedding cake! No more!

That cake was so good by the way... Although I got more up my nose than in my mouth...

I would say probably about 90% of my diet consists of clean, healthy, good for you foods.  Whatever that means...Ha, I think these terms get thrown around very loosely.  Some people might say that I eat crazy healthy! Others might disagree because maybe I use a little more Splenda, spray butter, and sugar free syrup than I probably should.  Ya know what though?? Those chemical filled products make food taste goooood...

For the most part though, I eat lots of fruits and veggies, healthy protein, and good carbs and fats.  I love making things like spinach pancakes!

Looks good right?! Am I always super healthy though? No, I could probably do better sometimes.  I know for sure that I don't get enough fat in my diet.  Something I am working on. The other day I finished logging in MyFitnessPal and only had 9 grams of fat for the day! Whoops!! Some people were saying that I should go eat some peanut butter or buttered bread or a bunch of nuts.  But I wasn't hungry and had eaten my fill for the day.  So I had a day with extremely low fat...it that one day going to kill me? No! It reminded me of something I need to be aware of and I did better the next day. 

Extra peanut butter on my peanut butter protein bar which I baked into a cookie? Don't mind if I do!

Yay for more fat!

I use the terms healthy and good for you in my recipes posts all the time, but I use those terms based on what I believe to be healthy. You can agree or disagree. I am not a dietician, nutritionist, or doctor!

Onto my next little ramble.  IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) and do I follow it.  Yes and no.  I basically use it to try and reach my fat and protein goals.  I have figured out the MINIMUM amount of fat and protein my body needs based on my age, weight, activity level, ect.  I also have a minimum amount of calories I try to get in each day. I try to hit those fat and protein numbers first, and then I put the remaining calories into whatever I feel like eating.  It might be more fat or protein, or I might eat a lot of carbs one day.  It is called flexible dieting right?! I have been super strict and rigid all my life and I am trying to find some flexibility in my eating.  I want to be able to enjoy these little morsels of heaven.

Some people like to follow iifym very strict.  That's ok! If that works for them.  But if I have lots of fat and carb left at the end of the night, I am not going to eat a huge bowl of Skittles and a spoonful of peanut butter! I will try to be more balanced the next day, but I am not going to eat something I don't want just to meet my macros.  I am not a body builder or bikini model and I am not bulking for cutting for my next show! I am just someone who enjoys working out, staying fit, and baking and eating as healthy as possible. 

It is not that rare that a lunch or dinner might look something like this.

Is that the healthiest thing I could make? No, not at all.  Sometimes I get home from work very late and don't feel like cooking AT ALL.  I feel like snacking! So that is what I do.  I got my fruit, carbs, protein, and fat! It tastes good and I enjoy eating it.  The hubby and I watch a lot of movies and I would rather have something like this while we watch rather than a "real dinner".  Do I have this every night? No, but every one in while I see nothing wrong with it.  

In conclusion...Do I have cheat meals? NO

Do I allow myself some unhealthy snacks from time to time? YES

Do I follow iifym? Yes, and no...I use it to meet my fat and protein goals and have fun with the rest.

Feel free to follow me on MyFitnessPal!

I do not log every day.  Sometimes I just use it to figure out the macros for my recipes.  Some days I might eat fruit, veggies, nuts, and protein bars! Some days I might eat fruit, veggies, protein bars, and Pop Tarts!  Notice that I ALWYAS eat protein bars...I am slightly obsessed! 

Let me know your thoughts too! Do you consider it cheating when you eat something unhealthy? Do you follow a strict way of eating?