Sometimes it’s okay to cheat

Not very often will you hear me say that.

It is not okay to cheat on your schoolwork.

It is not okay to cheat at board games.

It is not okay to cheat on your significant other.

It is not okay to cheat on your taxes.

The one time it is okay to cheat is on your diet — and I’m not just saying that because I cheated on mine today.

My sister Gina and I are doing a two-week run of the first phase of Ann Louise Gittleman’s Fat Flush Plan. The name sounds gross, I know, but the FFP is a detox/diet plan that is so totally effective and has helped me lose (and keep off) 40 pounds. I’ve still got another 10-15 to go until I reach my goal weight of 145/150 pounds (I’ll save you the trouble of doing the math and just admit that I topped out on my doctor’s scale at 202 three years ago) and I’m using the FFP as a good way to jump-start healthy eating and exercise habits after the holidays.

The FFP is pretty strict and not just about what you have to eliminate from you diet. There are certain things you have to add to your diet and daily routine for the results you want. Because the Plan is so strict, Gina and I have built cheating into it to help us stay on track. Getting one “naughty” item a week gives you something to look forward to as well as giving you some breathing room from the strict regiment of no carbs, dairy, refined sugar, etc. Really, in any diet, you have to allow yourself room to cheat a bit or else you’re going to get off track that much quicker because, let’s face it, we only have so much willpower and it’s too easy to say "well, I blew it so I might as well quit altogether" from one splurge on a chocolate covered PayDay Avalanche, bowl of ice cream or, as is most likely for me, a giant burrito from Qdoba.

Today’s cheat was a small Blizzard from Dairy Queen with Heath Bar and Butterfinger in it. It was so good I didn’t even feel all that guilty about it because I know I’m going to finish out the evening with the unsweetened cran-water and keep going for the eight days I have left of Phase One. I’ll be sure to tell you all about my success on January 15.

If you want to know more about the FFP, check out Ann Louise’s Web site.