Few things bum me out as much as hearing people talk about the latest diet they’re on or what foods they’re “supposed” to be eating (or not eating). If you find yourself using the following words/phrases, you may want to ask yourself how these thought processes are working for you (as in, what kind of results are you getting with this line of thinking and what kind of mental toll is it taking on you).
Word/Phrase: Cheat, Cheat Meal, Cheat Day
“I can’t wait until Saturday, that’s my cheat day! I can eat whatever I want without feeling guilty!” You may have heard (or said) a phrase like this, whether referring to a “cheat” meal, day, or single food. No matter what the context, this is a word that simply does not belong in your vocabulary or your mindset. The idea that you would even need to “cheat” is problematic enough.
If you feel like eating a cupcake (or pizza, or tacos, or ice cream, or whatever) is cheating, I’d argue you need to eat more of those things and think less about them in general (in fact, anything you eat that’s considered a “cheat” is something you’ve probably been thinking about too much). But how can you eat whatever you want and get results? (Check out this post about my own experience and results.) If you find yourself using these words or phrases often, please understand there is a way to achieve your goals while maintaining your sanity and continuing to include your favorite foods. There’s no need for a food or meal to be a “cheat”, and you never need to be on a “diet”. Many people have and continue to make progress, develop athletically, lose weight, and become healthier versions of themselves, all while continuing to eat the foods they love.
Alternative: Instead of “dieting” in such a way where foods/meals are labeled as “cheating”, make a place for the foods you love within a healthy lifestyle (it can be done!)
Word/Phrase: Bad, Bad Food
“White bread is so bad!” You have heard it and you have probably said it at some point in your life—a food is bad. Well let me blow your mind with a nutrition secret: food is not moral. It is neither good nor bad. The cake, fried chicken, burrito, pie…none of it is inherently evil. Food is just energy, when we eat it, we transfer that energy to our bodies—it is as simple as science. Food is amoral.
While food is neither good nor bad, the energy and nutrients it provides does have the ability to help us reach or goals or hinder our efforts. So, a more productive way to look at this would be, “white bread doesn’t hold much nutrient value for what I am trying to achieve, so I will choose the whole grain bread instead.” The following is also a healthy response: “white bread does not hold much nutrient value, but I really enjoy the taste and I’d like to have some. I can eat a slice and still make progress towards my goals.” With this mindset, there is no need for guilt or shame because it is just food—it is not good or bad. It is, however, nutrient dense or less nutrient dense, but even the less nutrient dense foods can have a place in a healthy lifestyle. And while choosing less nutritious foods should not be a way of life for someone striving to maintain good health, sometimes choosing those foods are exactly what is needed to maintain balance and good mental well-being. (Please note, I am not talking about food allergies, intolerances, or medical conditions related to eating specific foods—even in those cases, though, the food itself is not “bad”, it’s merely the effects of the food on the individual that are “bad”.)
Alternative: Identify a food based on its ability to provide your body with the nutrition needed to achieve your goals (or not), rather than labeling the food “good” or “bad”. (And of course, if you are intolerant or allergic to a food, avoid it because of the effects it has on your body.)
Word/Phrase: Allowed, Not Allowed
“I’m not allowed to eat that!” Are we not all adults, here? Do we not have the ability to think and choose for ourselves what works best for our bodies? Do we really need more rules and restrictions in our lives? For crying out loud, we have enough rules people cannot seem to understand or follow (four-way stop signs, anyone?). If you are on a “diet” that doesn’t “allow” you to eat certain foods, once again I would argue this “diet” is too restrictive (and that you could be so much happier living life without diets!). With most restrictive diets, people eventually grow weary of avoiding their favorite foods, so they “cheat” or label the food as “bad”—eat it anyway, then feel a tremendous amount of guilt. They may continue “off the wagon” for days, weeks, or months, because the “diet” was not sustainable for their lifestyle in the first place. Many of these people re-gain any weight they may have lost, as well as extra weight that was not there to begin with. In addition to unwanted pounds, they may also gain an unhealthy mindset towards foods and “diet”. It is a vicious cycle that can lead to years, even decades, of destructive weight-cycling, metabolic damage, and the development of habits and mindsets that are extremely difficult to replace (for example, some people leaving a strict Keto diet discover they have developed a fear of eating carbohydrates—even fruits and vegetables!). It can also lead to hopelessness and despair regarding the ability to ever achieve certain goals or the ability to have a healthy relationship with food (“nothing ever works, why bother?”).
(Again, I am not referring to medical conditions that require a way of eating, like food allergies or intolerances. If eating a food causes the body actual physical harm, obviously that food should be avoided.)
People often mistake the choices I make regarding food as things I either allow or do not allow myself to eat. But the foods I choose to eat have to do with several factors like how my body responds to the food or how the food helps (or hinders) me reaching my goals. Sometimes this means eating Doritos and sometimes turning them down, or sometimes eating a cookie, and other times saying, “no thank you”. Context is key. I have discovered foods that energize and help me feel well, and other foods that cause physical discomfort which outweighs the “reward” or pleasure of eating it. I have learned (and am still learning) what foods bring me closer to feeling and functioning well. This process will look different for everyone (which is largely due to genetic differences, but that is another post for another day). While one person does well on a diet, that same diet may be a complete disaster for someone else. Yet another reason why learning what is best for your body is the only “diet” worth pursuing.
Alternative: Acknowledge autonomy and the ability to choose what works best for your body, rather than following the next fad on the market or what a well-meaning friend or family member is telling you to do. Instead of wasting more time (and money) on the yo-yo train, choose a way of eating you know you can maintain for a lifetime—one that helps you feel and function at your best.
At the end of the day you could say this is all a game of semantics. While technically true, the point is to get you to dive deeper into what influences your choices and encourage you to challenge ways of thinking that may have become familiar and easy to fall back on. Ways of thinking that probably haven’t helped you achieve the results you’re looking for (or at the very least, haven’t helped your mental health while striving to achieve those goals).
Instead of restriction, think of addition—what can you add to your way of eating to bring you towards your goals, rather than what you “should” eliminate. This is the essence of a lifestyle founded on freedom, freedom from rules, restrictions, and deprivation and freedom to make positive, beneficial choices that help you become the best version of you possible.
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Rebecca was a Precision Nutrition Certified Nutrition Coach, an A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer, an A.C.E.Fitness Nutrition Specialist, an A.C.E. Sports Conditioning Specialist, and an A.C.E. Youth Fitness Specialist. She first earned her Personal Training certification with A.C.E. (American Council on Exercise) in 2002. She has been in and out of the "Health & Fitness" industry for nearly two decades. She also spent two years as a dietetic student at ASU & EMCC. She now blogs about her experiences with the health and fitness industry, eating disorders, lifestyle modification, weight loss, and nutrition for chronic disease, wellness, and longevity.
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