Here's to Cheat Day!

So it’s Sunday. Team Allen has designated Sundays as our cheat days. It’s the day that we eat what we want. I applaud all those people out there who can just give up their cravings and go cold turkey and keep on their diet 7 days a week. We are sooooo not those people. We do fantastic for 6 days. We count calories. We make healthy substitutions for our sweet cravings. We really do well. But Sunday, oh blessed Sunday! I get to sit at my mom’s table after church and not feel guilty about using butter and sour cream on my baked potato. I allow myself a second roll. And dessert, well praise God my mother learned how to cook. Sunday desserts are the best. They have chocolate and butterscotch and pecans and all kinds of glorious things in them (not necessarily at the same time, but it could be possible). 

Now don’t get me wrong. We don’t completely gorge ourselves. We still do our daily workout(s) and drink our smoothies for breakfast. It’s really only at lunch time that it’s ‘bad’. The rest of the day is just controlled desires. If we want one of the boys’ fruit and grain bars, we eat one. If we want to add a bit more peanut butter to our smoothie, it’s cool. If I want to drink a glass of whole milk while I eat one brownie, I don’t have to feel guilty. We’re an advocate of the cheat day and it helps us feel not so deprived. 

Someone told me recently that we shouldn’t reward ourselves with food. I don’t really look at it as a reward. We’re foodies. Both of us love to cook rich, decadent food. I’m from the south. I want to put cream and cheese and butter in everything. Maybe in a couple months (or years) I won’t crave those things and we can cut cheat days out of the equation. I’ll have my system all sorted out and I’ll be a healthy, clean eater and everyone will want to follow my blog because I’m so awesome (ha!). But for now, I’m not going to completely deprive myself and then feel massive guilt if I mess up. So far my system is working well for us. 

So here’s to cheat day! It may not be for you, but it is for me. I’m looking forward to bellying up to my mom’s table after church this afternoon. Because I can!