Last Night I Cheated…
And I admit it! I know I should be ashamed and there is a tiny part of me that feels a teensy bit ashamed, but for the most part…I’m not.
Before I lead you too far astray, no, I did not cheat on a paper, exam, or assignment. Instead, I cheated and went to the McDonald’s in the Wallyworld where I grocery-shopped after my aerobics class last night. I did not buy much. I swear! I only got a Diet Coke and french fries, but it was soooo naughty. The irony of the situation is that I nearly never go to McDonald’s. It just is not my “thing.”
Perhaps I should elaborate on my cheating situation. Because this is about more than just cheating and eating out one night. It is about a lifestyle change I made a couple of months ago. I decided that stopping and grabbing something for dinner on the way home from school is about more than just adding inches to the waistline. It is about slowly but surely depleting my limited financial resources. And so, I made a resolution. No, not one of those absurd, “I’ll never keep this in a million years” New Years resolutions. Actually, this one was more like a “March” resolution. It started right around the time that I started attending the Power Mix class one of my colleagues teaches in our athletic center and so, it seemed like a good time for it. Well, that and I was going broke on our minuscule salary…
And it has worked. Phenomenally, if I do say so. I don’t know if I have lost much weight in the change, but I know that my bank account has not lost as much weight as it was. 
Plus, I have found that it has been amazingly easy to cook for myself. One of the reasons why I struggled with this is that coming from a large family, I was trained to cook for 12. 12 to 1 is a big change—believe me. And so, I set a pattern throughout my MA, especially since my home was so far out from my job and school. It simply was easier to do the quickie thing on the way home from school/work and worry about the consequences later. (Incidentally, I was in a job that paid marginally more than the current one—and it made a difference when I carried on that behaviour in my new home and job.) Now, I work in school and live 10 minutes down the road from my home. And I have figured out the secret to cooking for 1—bring any leftovers to school for lunch and if I have extras, share with my colleagues!
But still, last night…I cheated. The temptation was too great and I found that it has been an age since I was out and grabbed even just a “snack” to eat. But my subconscious still feels the effects of my cheat. I am less concerned with the Diet Coke than with the fried french fries…which, in case I haven’t mentioned, were fried. Not to mention the money drain having a little cheat-fest is. I figure my pennance will be a trip to the athletic center tomorrow between the end of teaching and a meeting I have at 1 to swim. I am okay with this one. At least it is a healthy pennance. And I have no plans to dine out anywhere for some time, yet.
I do not worry so much that this little cheat will make me rationalize other cheating my life. I do not plan on cheating on my taxes—I do not make enough money to do this anyway. I do not plan to cheat on a paper or an exam—that just would be stupid and a waste of my time. Or plagiarize another romance author—ditto on my last comment. I worry that I might cheat on eating completely unhealthy again and wasting money.
The bright side to all of this is that I know I can recognize the cheat when it happens. And I hope it will keep future ones down to a minimum. (My waistline and my bank account both thank me for this.)Â
Will I cheat again? Likely. Will it be wasted on McDonald’s french fries? Hopefully not.
So, what about you? Anybody working on a plan in their lives and find that they cheat sometimes? Diet? Book? Not watching telly? How do you deal with it?
If it’s any consolation, I had lunch at McDonald’s on Wednesday, and that’s the first time I’ve succumbed to that since 2004, I think. It does happen, but I think beating yourself up for the cheating is worse than the occasional weakness.
My real temptation is to be seduced away from things I know I should be doing (and even sort of want to do) by time-wasters — mostly those “casual” computer games like Solitaire, but pointless TV reruns count, too. I should be writing more, I should be getting out of the house more often, I should be just plain enjoying life. But it’s just so darn easy to fritter.
Oh, and fritters taste good, too.
Elodie–I should SO be following your example. (Not the cheating part but the lifestyle change part.) I too have gotten in the habit of grabbing something on the way home from work because it’s too much of a pain to cook. I don’t know when it happened. I used to be really good and ate healthy food and exercised. But since I had my ankle surgery I’ve been terrible about taking short cuts. Plus, now that it takes 45 bucks to fill up my gas tank I could use the extra money!!
Don’t beat yourself up for cheating. It happens. And besides, you only got fries. It’s not like you got a Big Mac or a Quarter Pounder with Cheese. As cheats go, yours is a small one. And most diet experts say that if you have a craving give into it, just don’t go hog wild with it. So you were actually doing the right thing
Keep up the good work!!!
I’ve cheated! I cheated on workout plans, eating plans, and writing plans! I don’t think it’s so terrible that you cheated, though.
Sometimes a cheat is a good thing. I heard what Manda heard, that if you have a craving then give in to it because otherwise you’ll go crazy. It’s more about stopping the things that you do every day just because they’re a habit rather than something you need or want.
I need to put myself on a Starbucks diet. I was never a Starbucks person (I hate coffee) but I discovered it’s a great place for me to write because I can be away from the distractions of home yet there’s still stuff going on around me. Well not only do I write there, but I get a pop every time and I usually get a dessert. The numbers add up! And, I’m sure, the calories do too.
I’ve cheated before too….on my credit card diet. I’m trying to cut out all credit card usage, but lately, I’ve racked up a fair amount (around 250) back onto my card. And I really hate it. I just want to be done with this, I really do. And I’ve cheated and gotten McDonald’s as well, although it’s usually just french fries. Lately though, they just haven’t been appealing to me.
That’s the good thing about making a lifestyle change, Di. Stuff like McDonald’s french fries pretty much lose their appeal. I really am grateful for many of the changes. And I’m not too heartbroken over the cheat, but the good thing is recognizing it when it happens rather than just letting it become a pattern in life.
Steph—I really should put myself on a Diet Coke diet. It is my greatest sin in life. But at this point, with my stress levels, I figure if Diet Coke is the worst of my sins, then I’m doing pretty good!
Manda—Take it as a slow start. I am. I go to my friend’s Power Mix class once a week—even though she teaches it twice—because I know my limits at this point. I hope to work it up to both her classes in the fall and I’m planning on joining the community center at home for 3 months so that I can use the athletic facility to exercise over the summer. The great thing I’ve noticed is that now that I am exercising regularly, I crave it when it is not there. Plus, mum and dad have a pool! Guess what I’ll be doing for an hour every morning this summer!
Josephine—The time-waster cheats are the worst! It’s one of the things that precludes my getting any grading done some nights—especially if I am worn to a frazzle from the week. Yeah, I pretty much am figuring that I will not be getting much done tonight, but work, work, work away I will this weekend!
Incidentally, I never made it to the pool today. I spent 20 minutes with a student in my office and decided to eat the lunch I brought with me in the remaining time, instead. Now I’m off to a meeting! Work, work, work! LOL!
Smiles,
Élodie
Élodie — we’re kindred pop spirits! I, too, am a Diet Coke lover tho I really love Pepsi One if I had my way every time… At least we’re not getting all the sugar, right? It’s amazing how different I feel when I do go off of it, tho. I actually notice a big difference plus I replace the Diet Coke with water which makes me feel good.
I’m totally there with you Stephanie. I have been a bit better in the past week about my Diet Coke drinking habits. Mostly, I have been substituting with Gatorade or flavoured water, but I still must have DC fix at the very minimum once a day!
Élodie