The Benefits of Cheating & How to Bounce Back After a Binge

I'm really excited to have my friend Sara back as a guest contributor! She previously wrote a fantastic article on the importance of proper meal timing.

I had approached her about writing this article, because I feel as though binging is something that everyone has fallen victim to, and there is a tremendous amount of guilt surrounding it. This article should give you peace of mind that you can still stay on track towards achieving your goals despite bumps in the road.

The Benefits of Cheating & How to Bounce Back After a Binge


People binge and eat foods that are blatantly bad for them all of the time, whether they have an excuse to do so or not. Those who work hard and eat healthy tend to turn to "cheat" meals or days to grant them a time to indulge in their favourite treats and/or shove as much food in their faces as they possibly can.

Whether you enjoy the powerful taste of something unhealthy or you sometimes want to just stop counting the calories, going into your mouth for once… it’s okay. I’m not saying it’s okay or healthy to binge eat and consume hefty amounts of salt and sugar all day, every day, or even very often. What I am saying, is that once in awhile it’s completely okay, and maybe even necessary, for you to take a break from ‘healthy’ and just enjoy yourself.

One meal or even one day of binge eating or sugary snacks will not set you back or completely throw off your progress. It can if you let it, but as long as you stay aware and in control of what you’re doing, you don’t have to crush yourself with guilt every time it happens.

The Benefits of Cheat Days

Breaking a Plateau

When I say some cheating may be necessary, I’m talking about people who are very persistent in their quest to dramatically change their body in some way or another. Those people, who eventually reach a plateau in their weight loss or gain, need something to shock their system into cooperating again.

That "shock" is a nice dose of hormones released from the body, and can be triggered by various things. The hormones insulin and leptin are a few whose release is driven by what you eat and when you eat it. They aren’t just controlled by food consumption, but that’s one of the easiest ways we can purposefully prompt that release.

Leptin and insulin are companion hormones, and the rising and falling of one can trigger the same for the other. Insulin release is triggered by the consumption of glucose, which is found in carbohydrates. Glucose is more concentrated in simpler carbs and sugars, and the shorter chains are absorbed faster, thus they have a much faster impact on blood sugar.

As insulin is released into the blood to prompt the storage of glucose, leptin is slowly released as well. Leptin is, most simply put, our feeling of fullness and hunger. As more insulin is released and more fuel is stored, leptin levels rise to tell the brain that you are satiated. Eventually leptin levels lower again when we start taking from those fuel stores, which prompts hunger and food seeking behaviour.

Leptin does not exclusively rise with insulin though, and it is heavily affected by our routines. For instance, the body suppresses your appetite while you sleep or when you get stressed out by releasing leptin, which lowers your metabolism. That way the focus can be put on your rest and recovery or a fight or flight response, instead of your hunger.

Whatever you decide to put your body through in order to get the results you’re looking for, eventually your hormones will adjust and your body will get used to your routine. These hormones are one of the main reasons that we reach plateaus, and in order to move past them, that routine needs to change. The stricter your routine and the harder you are on your body, the stronger it will fight back to adjust, and the more often you will have to throw it off course.

Strict eating habits can stress you out mentally. Having a day where you allow yourself to not worry so much about what you’re eating can be a psychological break for some people. Unfortunately, it can have the opposite effect on others. Instead, simply including a treat into their scheduled macro intake may be a bit less stressful and more rewarding, rather than breaking their normal routine measurements.

Using cheat days and meals as a reward and a source of motivation can be thin and shallow, but if you are starting up a new habit, sometimes rewards are necessary to keep you going. Shallow motivations involving rewards and punishments can be fragile, but if it keeps you going long enough to solidify that habit and find stronger self-improvement goals to motivate you, it’s better than not making any improvement at all.

If having a cheat day at the end of your week after completing several days of successful workouts is working for you, there is no point feeling guilty about it. The point of a cheat is to reduce your stress, not stress you out even more. The more control you have over the cheat day or meal, the less you are likely to stress about it or go overboard. Plan what you are going to eat, solidify your reasonings for allowing yourself that indulgence and enjoy it.

But what if something happens and you end up eating too much when you and your friends spontaneously go out to eat? Or you break your normal routine because you spotted your favourite dessert and couldn’t resist?

Regardless of whether you orchestrated a cheat or the cheat jumped you in an alleyway, if you feel like you’ve failed yourself by cheating on your carefully constructed meal plan, don’t. Dwelling on something that’s already happened is pointless, and the most best thing you can do is to focus on what you can do to recover now, and put yourself in control for next time, building a better relationship with your cheat meals.

Cheating Without Cheating

Small indulgences can be a lot easier on the body and mind to begin with, and require a lot less recovery afterwards. However, it can be difficult to change the definition of a cheat from ‘binge eating’ to simply doing something you wouldn’t normally do.

Cheating doesn’t have to be three pizzas or the whole container of ice cream–it can simply be something outside of the normal rules you hold for yourself. Have a fancy coffee with a bit higher sugar content at the end of a stressful work day. Have a drink or two at a special dinner with friends. Schedule in a day where you skip one workout to have an important bonding day with a significant other or a friend.

You can even press the definition of a cheat even further by simply adjusting your macronutrient ratio a few times a week to keep things interesting, or try a new type of exercise like swimming or sports that may not guarantee you burning the same amount of calories or using the same muscles you’re used to working. The key is to not limit yourself to just sugary and salty foods. Get creative in the ways you treat yourself, and have fun!

Although gentler and non-food/activity related cheats may not work to shock the system for those who are intent on breaking a strong plateau, they can be used as an alternative on days where you shouldn’t be cheating, but you’re craving something different. As long as you are in control and aware of what you’re doing there should be a decrease in stress, not an increase!

Recovering

If your control breaks, or your cheating sessions get really intense, it’s important to focus on your physical and mental recovery afterwards. Physically, it can be rough on your body to heavily spike sugars and hormones and mentally it can be difficult to stop the overwhelming guilt when something happens that you feel you had no control over.

Drink Water

An eating binge can be just like a drinking binge, and drinking lots of water (both during, if possible, and after) can help clear and balance the salt content in your body and combat any sort of dehydration. The best thing to do for your organs is give them a ton of fluid to flush your body. If your pee is clear, you’re doing a good job. Thirst can feel like hunger, so don’t start shoving any food in your face until you’ve had your fill of water first.

Coffee can help in a couple ways, and it’s the better option if you’re feeling stressed out and leaning towards a laxative. Don’t take a laxative. Resorting to abuse of anything that could be used for medical reasons is a terrible idea. It doesn’t matter how ‘natural’ the ingredients are. Unless it’s caffeine from normal coffee or tea, don’t play with laxatives to solve your problems.

Eat Well, Don’t Stress

Some will feel the need to overeat, because the energy from any simple, quick fuel may be long gone. Others may have little to no appetite at all. Some will be craving healthy to find balance, others will want more sugar and salt to continue feeding their cravings.

If you’re feeling like salty and sweet, stave off or have lighter versions, lightly salted nuts, fruit for sweetness. If there’s no appetite, force yourself to eat something small, and if you are able to, you can eat a bit heavier in the evening to meet your macronutrient requirements or replenish your energy stores.

Don’t overcompensate for anything you did during your cheat meal or day. You body is built to adjust, and it will return to normal on it’s own. For those who are hungry, you can rely a bit more on fats and proteins for your energy needs, but don’t cut out carbs completely. Going from a blood sugar high to a blood sugar low isn’t balance, and your goal is to restore that balance.

If you try to balance the scale yourself, you’re just creating more problems for your body to sort out, so try your best to simply return to your normal routine. It’s important to do what you need to do to mentally stabilize yourself. The less stress you make for yourself after a binge, the easier it is for your body to focus less on dealing with that stress and more on recovering.

Exercise

Though some people may be able to jump into a heavy workout the next day, others may find that impossible. The same goes for exercise as it does for food: don’t overcompensate, and let your body focus on recovering. Even if you just put on your workout clothes and do 15 minutes of exercise a light workout can be very beneficial.

Getting your body moving and your blood flowing can wake up your system and start your engine up again. It can also ease some of the mental anxiety about overeating, but again, for those who feel overly guilty, it’s important not to go overboard and exhaust yourself at the gym. Starving yourself to “burn off what I ate yesterday” will only serve to add more stress to your body and will extend the time needed to recover and find balance again. If you intend to do a full workout, ensure you are fueling yourself properly both before and after. No excuses.

Physical and mental health are important. Failing is not the end of the world. Take care, take control and enjoy yourself!




Works Cited:

1. Hall, John E., and Arthur C. Guyton. Textbook of medical physiology. Elsevier Inc., 2006.
2. Margetic, S., et al. "Leptin: a review of its peripheral actions and interactions." International Journal of Obesity & Related Metabolic Disorders 26.11 (2002).
3. Patterson, Christa M., and Martin G. Myers. "How Leptin Controls the Drive to Eat." The Korean Journal of Obesity 24.2 (2015): 69-77.
4. Van Praag, H., Fleshner, M., Schwartz, M. W., & Mattson, M. P. (2014). Exercise, energy intake, glucose homeostasis, and the brain. The Journal of Neuroscience, 34(46), 15139-15149.

Why "Cleanses" are a Tremendous Waste of Time

Juice cleanses, or other similar food detoxes seem to be all of the rage these days. From the Whole 30, the 21 Day Sugar Detox, cayenne and lemon water cleanse, the options are seemingly infinite. Each one boasts claims that you will magically rid your intestines and other tissues of toxins or inflammation.

Before you get defensive, keep reading.

I should mention that I think, first and foremost, a healthy diet is the key to preventing or treating an array of different health problems, along with meditation, physical activity, and proper hydration. I believe fulfilling your micronutrient requirements (vitamins and minerals) should be high on everyone's list of priorities.

Now, let's analyze why (what I believe to be most) people start these cleanses in the first place: to lose weight and kickstart healthier habits. Perhaps you just got back from a vacation full of over-indulgence in junk food and alcohol. Maybe you put on a bit of unwelcome weight over the holiday season. Although I completely understand these frustrations, I think cleanses are a load of crap and a waste of money.

I am quite adamantly against them for a few reasons:

1. There is no "quick fix." When it comes to diet and exercise, everyone wants to see changes overnight. The fitness industry feeds on this desire to miraculously improve one's body as quickly as possible. Products claim to help you lose 20 pounds of fat in a month or gain 10 pounds of muscle in 3 weeks, but you must remember that these are just marketing schemes to coerce you into buying a product or subscribing to a new workout routine. The truth is that "health" is not a weekend vacation. A 7 day juice cleanse or a 30 day food detox is a start, but it is only the beginning of a lifelong commitment to wellness. Chugging down cayenne pepper for a week won't transform you into some immortal superhero!
2. Your calorie intake is too damn low! Nearly every juice cleanse I've seen brings you to around 1,000-1,300 calories a day. Unless you're in a vegetative state or you're 85 years-old, that number is way too small. If you're exercising, those numbers are along the lines of what I would call dangerous. There is no way your body can recover and progress if you're starving yourself. Not to mention, juice is low in protein and devoid of most of the fiber that comes with fruit and vegetables, so you won't feel full after consuming these juices. I'm willing to bet that your juice-only diet will leave you feeling lethargic and foggy, rather than leaving you alert and ready to take on the day.
3. It's not sustainable. I advise my clients to eat everything in moderation. I do not recommend they explicitly cut out certain foods, because, well, they're going to crave those foods nonstop! Of course I want them to eat their greens and fulfill their protein requirements, but I don't want them to go crazy in the process! Diets like the Whole 30 have an absurd amount of "no-no" foods. White potatoes, grains, dairy, refined sugar and legumes are all off limits for Whole 30ers. First of all, it can be pretty tiring to have to turn down your mom's meals because it contains XYZ, and second of all, it reinforces a disordered relationship with food! Even if you complete 30 days of "clean eating" with no cheats whatsoever, guess what you're probably going to do on day 31 or day 45? You're probably going to go on a binge-eating spree and scarf down every food you just limited from your diet for the past month and send your digestive system into agony. Why bother cleansing your system if you're only going to inevitably return to your old eating habits? Why limit your cookie intake for four weeks, just so you can snort an entire sleeve of Thin Mints afterwards?

Your kidneys and your liver are organs whose prime function is detoxification. They are more than capable of that job with or without your cleanses. The weight loss industry throws around words like "inflammation" to create fear or buzz. Commercials leave people believing they have chronic inflammation, food allergies and toxins they never even knew about before.

There aren't yet any studies to suggest that these types of cleanses actually serve any benefit to you or your body, but yet tons of "nutrition experts" swear by anecdotal evidence or bogus allegations.

I believe in moderation. If you want to have a piece of cake, have it. Just make sure you're not having the entire cake to yourself, and prioritize nutrient dense foods. Spend your whole day eating food that will fuel your body and provide you with the vitamins you need to sustain organ function. Then, every once-in-a-while, have a snack, if you want one. You'll feel less likely to completely derail your progress and binge if you aren't so strict with your diet.

Drinking the occasional fruit juice is fine, but there's absolutely no need to go on a juice-only diet unless your jaw is fused shut or you have some sort of digestive issues that you'd like to alleviate. Avoid the marketing scams and find some balance in your nutritional habits. It's pretty well-recognized that crash diets don't work, so find one you're prepared to commit to for the long haul, not just a predetermined amount of time!

How Marketing Confuses the Meaning of "Healthy"

Many popular products like NutriGrain bars, FiberOne brownies, Nature's Valley granola are all presented as "healthy" alternatives to candy bars. I mean, "NutriGrain" contains the root words "nutritious" and "grain," so they must be good for you, right?

I don't recommend drinking these to substitute the vitamins in food...

Unfortunately, advertisers love to trick us into thinking our food choices are healthy. The phrases "all natural," "full of whole grains,"  or "low calorie" are slapped on the packaging and touted in commercials.  There are absolutely no necessary criteria for a company to boast "all natural" on its products. "All natural" does not mean organic, nor does it mean unprocessed. This is one phrase that tricks many consumers. Some people are more likely to buy a product they deem to have nutritional value, so they are drawn to these brands.

If you take one look at the ingredient label, however, you may be surprised by what you read. For example, take a look at the ingredients in a Nutrigrain bar:

"WHOLE GRAIN OATS, ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, VITAMIN B1 [THIAMIN MONONITRATE], VITAMIN B2 [RIBOFLAVIN], FOLIC ACID), WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, SOYBEAN AND/OR CANOLA OIL, SOLUBLE CORN FIBER, SUGAR, DEXTROSE, FRUCTOSE, CALCIUM CARBONATE, WHEY, WHEAT BRAN, SALT, CELLULOSE, POTASSIUM BICARBONATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, SOY LECITHIN, WHEAT GLUTEN, NIACINAMIDE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, CARRAGEENAN, ZINC OXIDE, REDUCED IRON, GUAR GUM, VITAMIN B6 (PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE), VITAMIN B1 (THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE), VITAMIN B2 (RIBOFLAVIN), FILLING: INVERT SUGAR, CORN SYRUP, STRAWBERRY PUREE CONCENTRATE, GLYCERIN, SUGAR, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, SODIUM ALGINATE, CITRIC ACID, DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, METHYLCELLULOSE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, CARAMEL COLOR, MALIC ACID, RED 40."

Wow! That's quite the laundry list of ingredients. I'm willing to bet you didn't even read through all of them. As you can see, these bars contain a ton of artificial flavoring, coloring and thickeners. Yes, there are whole grain oats on the list, but the oats are practically drowning in a sea of other predatory ingredients.

Each bar has about 11 grams of refined sugar. These are certainly not the best choice for someone who is looking to have a quick and healthy snack.

Now, I have four rules of thumb for eating well:

1. Eat foods with as few ingredients as possible
2. Eat foods with ingredients you can easily recognize and pronounce.
3. Eat foods that are minimally processed
4. Eat foods with a short shelf life

It's pretty safe to say that NutriGrain bars do not adhere to any of the four aforementioned rules.

In my opinion, it is best to stick to grocery shopping in the perimeters of the store (where you will find fruits, vegetables, nuts, meat, eggs, and other perishable items). You're better off avoiding the items that come in prepackaged containers.

Does this mean you can't enjoy these items in moderation? I've said it before, and I will say it again: absolutely not! I always allow myself to enjoy snacks every so often.

The purpose of this post is simply to illuminate the ways in which food suppliers will try to trick you into thinking that processed garbage is actually good for you. The majority of the food you eat should be nutrient-dense foods that will supply your body with the micronutrients and macronutrients it needs each day. Eat organic food when you can, and, if you eat meat, grass fed is always the better alternative. Avoiding processed foods will keep you feeling alert and energized throughout the day.

Don't allow advertisers to fool you.

What is "Healthy" to You?

The word "healthy" seems to take on a different definition in every magazine, every journal, every study and every book I read. Some people think low carbohydrate/high fat ("keto") diets are the way to go, while others preach high carbohydrate/low fat diets.

Working in the fitness industry, I've become kind of overwhelmed with the huge differences in opinion out there. People will swear to death that their diet is the best way to eat. Quite frankly, I'm pretty freaking tired of hearing it.

I created a survey for my readers and viewers, and I asked them to respond to two questions:

1. Which of these options do you associate with the word healthy?
2. Which of these dietary restrictions do you follow?

They had the option to pick as many answers as they wanted: gluten free, grain free, dairy free, Paleo, high carb/low fat, low carb/high fat, low/no sugar, low/no sodium, non GMO, cage free/free range, grass fed, IIFYM, high protein, vegetarian, vegan, organic, minimally processed, and then anything else they wanted to add.

Obviously, the responses were pretty varied. The number one, response, however, was "minimally processed." In my opinion, this is the phrase I would associate most with "healthy." If it comes from the earth, it's healthy; if it comes from a factory, it's probably not.

The books make excellent coasters...

The conclusion I've come to, based on my reading and my experience, is that there is no "optimal" diet. Forget all of those commercials telling you otherwise. The best diet, in my humble opinion, is the one that works the best for you! What is sustainable for you in the long run? What will make you excited to eat, without feeling like you're restricting yourself? If you're craving everything you can't have and you're miserable, there is no point in eating that way.

Eating healthy should not come with the loss of your sanity. Ideally, you want to feel energized, well-nourished and happy!

Find a way to eat well without deprivation. Eat intuitively, and eat minimally processed foods. I've said it before on my blog, and I'll say it again. If you stick to the food that comes from the earth, you don't need to count calories and stress out over food. If you want to eat a piece of cake every once-in-a-while, eat it! Eat well, and live happily.

Ending the 1,200 Calorie Myth

As the summer approaches, everyone seems to have one goal in mind: to lose weight and look great in a bikini. So how do you accomplish those goals? I'm willing to bet money that you said something along the lines of "diet and exercise." Well, you aren't totally wrong, but there's one myth of weight loss that I'm looking to dispel, and that is the idea that we need to drastically reduce our caloric intake to lose weight. Many diet products and "nutritionists" have contributed to this idea that we need to starve ourselves to get the bodies we want.

First of all, let me start off by saying how much I loathe the word "diet" in and of itself. The word diet is supposed to refer to our eating habits--it should not mean "depriving yourself of energy (calories)." I do not diet, and I never will. Rather, I attempt to eat clean, whole foods. I do not count my calories, and as a result, I never feel starved or undernourished.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let me explain a bit more. If you're looking for sustainable, healthy weight loss, extreme caloric restriction is not the answer! Just answer this for me: how do you feel when you're on a diet? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm gonna guess you said that you feel weak, hungry, or both. Here's the trap that so many girls (even myself) have fallen into: eating a small breakfast, maybe a banana or an egg, a salad for lunch and maybe another salad for dinner. While all of those foods are healthy, you're not eating nearly enough! Especially if you're exercising. 1,200 calories is enough food for a 10-year-old, at best. As a fully grown adult (or even a teenager), you should be eating way more than that. Now, I can't answer just how many calories you should be eating, because that all depends on your height, weight, gender and activity level. I can tell you, however, that it should definitively be more than 1,200.

"Food is an important part of a healthy diet." -Fran Lebowitz

Why isn't extreme calorie cutting helpful? You may see results in the short term, but I can promise you that neither your mind or your body will be able to sustain that for a long period of time. We need a certain number of calories just to maintain basic bodily functions (brain function, respiration, etc.), so if you're not feeding your body enough, you are sending your body into a panic. For women, restriction of calories can result in amenorrhea (loss of menstrual cycle), which, if sustained for long periods of time, can lead to osteoporosis. Additionally, if your body is desperate enough for fuel, it will start using muscle tissue for energy, and we certainly don't want that! Yes, you will lose fat, but you will also lose muscle along with it!

My best recommendation is, as always, to eat intuitively. Do not deprive yourself of the nutrients your body so desperately needs. If you feel hungry, eat food. If you're not hungry, don't eat! Make sure that the foods you are eating are nutrient dense so that you can get your daily recommended value of iron, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, etc. Step away from the packaged, processed crap on the grocery store shelves and head to your local farmer's market. This is something I will repeat constantly because I truly believe it: if you eat well, you will not feel hungry or deprived. You will be able to free yourself from counting calories and stressing over what to eat.

When I first started my fitness journey, I fell into the trap of trying to drastically reduce my intake. I went to the gym, walked to and from class, ate "well" (what I thought was "well" at the time), and I never noticed any change. My body wasn't getting the fuel it needed to sustain my activity level. My best recommendation is to play around with your diet and see what works best for you. Find out how much food you need to feel energized and satiated.

Remember that all calories are not created equal! Just because something is "low calorie" does not mean it is healthy! 100 calories of carrots and 100 calories of chocolate chip cookies are not the same. When you're planning your weight loss goals, make sure they are sustainable in the long term so that you can succeed and maintain your sanity at the same time.

What "Food" Means to Me

Over the years, my definition of what is "food" and what is not has changed significantly. I grew up as a very picky eater, subsisting on a diet of Ellios pizza, chicken fingers and Oreos. I think it goes without saying that these foods are no longer a part of my daily intake.

Arguably one of my favorite classes in college was "Anthropology of Food." I took it, initially, as a general education requirement, but found myself incredibly engaged during the lectures and enjoying the readings. The class vastly changed the way I thought about food. Instead of thinking about what was "healthy" or "unhealthy," I began to think about why we eat certain things. For example, why did we create "recipes" and "meals?", and, "What were my ancestors eating?" Recipes were, more than likely, designed to help us fulfill our daily micro and macro nutrient needs. (Side note: micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals like iron and Vitamin C, and the macronutrients are protein, carbohydrates and fats.) Think about a meal like meat and potatoes--we have all three of those macronutrients included onto one happy plate. Recipes evolved based on readily available ingredients and needs for certain micro or macronutrients.

Photo courtesy of Natalie Dee

Since the onset of agriculture, the way we produced and consumed food has changed. We no longer had to travel great distances for food, or hunt for it ourselves. Instead, we could grow food right in our own backyards. Humans became more stagnant and more sedentary. Fast forward a few thousand years to the industrial revolution when the need and want to produce increased significantly. Because the population was booming, we had more mouths to feed, so we needed to come up with cheaper and more efficient ways to do so. Corn was one of the cheapest, most readily available ingredients, so naturally it found its way into everything. Take a second to look at any product in your pantry. Chances are, it has corn oil, corn syrup (high fructose or otherwise), corn flour, or dextrose (which often comes from corn or other grains). Not to mention, farmers often feed corn to their animals, so there's probably even corn in the meat you're eating. 

Corn is just one of many additives that food manufacturers now pump into the products we eat. Artificial flavorings, colorings, sweeteners, MSG, nitrites, thickeners, and so on, make up the bulk of the Standard American Diet. But I digress. I could go on about this, but I'll leave you to research those things on your own.

The food that the typical American eats is not only extremely processed, but it is also devoid of all nutritional content. So what do we do? We take vitamins and supplements for everything instead of getting those vitamins from the foods we eat.

Just because I can consume it, does not mean it is food. I have come to consider "food" to be nutritionally dense food that comes from the earth. I like to eat plants, animals and nuts, minimal grains and legumes, and no dairy. Why? Because all of those foods provide my body with the fuel it needs for my workouts and daily life. I do not count calories or measure my macros because there's no need. I try to eat products from the perimeters of the grocery store, food that has a shelf life. If I can see all of the ingredients in what I'm eating, that's even better. I can read and pronounce everything on the label--that, to me, is "food."

Do I snack from time to time? Of course. Sometimes it's nice to indulge, and everything is fine in moderation! To be honest, though, I feel better physically when I eat better. My body thrives off of whole foods. When I eat junk, I usually don't feel well or perform well the next day. If you fuel your body properly, you will be amazed by the outcome. To me, this is far beyond "weight loss." Rather, this is about feeling great and thriving. We weren't eating Hostess cakes 100 years ago, so why are we eating them now?

As tacky as it may sound, I really do believe that we are what we eat. I don't know about you, but I would much rather be a steak than a jelly donut. Now before I get carried away and go on (even more of) a rant, I will cut myself off and save the rest for my next article...

Have a Happy and Stress-Free Thanksgiving!

Allow yourself to enjoy the holidays with your family and friends instead of stressing out about the impending food coma. Truth be told, one day of bad eating will not ruin your progress, and any "weight gain" you may experience is simply going to be water weight. Try to relax and remind yourself that you'll get right back on track after the holiday is over!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone!