The pros and cons of allowed splurges

I've been thinking a lot about allowed splurges or binges. If one is eating on plan all week, 1 meal should be ok. It helps with cravings just knowing that there will be one meal that you can have whatever you want. Weight loss wise it also helps to trick the body into thinking its not dieting or going into starvation mode. This is all if your week is calorie controlled.



I eat between 1650 - 1850 calories a day. I work out at least 3 hours a week and am now starting to add in some weight training.



Today I had my '1 meal a week splurge'. This time it was nothing close to how I usually eat now. It was planned in a sense that I would allow myself a splurge lunch today. While walking around the grocery store my mind was everywhere... should I go for chinese, a pizza, a sub... what would make me happy



back up...



food makes me happy?



Here is where I start to think that mentally a food splurge is not a good idea... but I decide on a sub anyways.



this was my one meal a week splurge... a 7 inch sub from Wegmans.
3 meat, cheese, mayo, oil, lettuce, onion, olives.

a small bag of chipsa

22 oz diet pepsi


I realize I do not miss this kind of food and it's not a good 'splurge' for me. There was WAY too much meat... the soda (or maybe its the lack of water today!) has given me a headache. I have no energy.. I took a nap and still feel like crap and have a headache.


And to think this is how I used to always eat.



I realize that eating clean/healthier has actually changed my tastes. This is GOOD! I'm not using this splurge as a reward for anything... it's just there.



Do I need it then? If the non-healthy items I have on my splurge meal don't 'do it' for me anymore.. whats the point. Why not just eat a piece of chocolate and call it a day. These are things I'm still working through and on.



I see the merit in it all... I don't find myself craving much of anything during the week... and I'm not sure if it's because I'm eating clean or its because my brain knows I get one meal 'off'



I do know that soda is pointless.. even if it's diet. drinking that syrupy, sugar laden, 'DIET' drink was not anything I plan on doing again. I'll stick to water, thanks.



The doritos, however, I could've had a whole family size bag of them



the sub.. TOO much meat...and here I am working on being a vegetarian..



Here are some interesting links, worth a ponder

Tim Ferriss' 'lose 20lbs in 30 days' article.. take with a grain of salt.. but the notion of a one meal (or in his case, day) splurge is interesting

Animated Exercise Examples

a useful site to help you SEE how the weight machines and other weight lifting activities are done. while this does not replace working with a personal trainer... its a good reminder when/and if you can't work with one every time you do your weight training

What happens to your body when you drink a coke

a great reminder (not that I need it now!) as to why soda is BAD!!!