Cheat Day

One thing I've learned from my many years lost watching The Biggest Loser is that you should grant yourself a cheat day once a week. Now this doesn't mean to spend the whole day gorging yourself. It just means you can be a little looser with your calories than on normal days. Sunday is my day for that. It is the one day I have the time to make a big breakfast, which I love, and also clean up afterwards. It is also the only day I have time to really try out new recipes without having to worry about being interrupted. Another reason I chose Sundays was because the weekends are the time I can really get in a lot of exercising. I can actually walk for an hour because I don't have to worry about getting back in time for my husband to go to work. I, also, have time to clean my house from top to bottom, which is A LOT of work. And I go grocery shopping on the weekends. So, in the end, my Sunday net calorie count is usually below my needed calories. Some Sundays, I make french toast, sometimes it's waffles, today it was Eggs Benedict. I have on one previous occasion made Hollandaise sauce, but I have never poached eggs. So, this was a big one. Here it is:

So, what do you think? Looks good, right? They actually came out almost perfect. One of the eggs, I slightly over-poached (is that a word?) so the yolk wasn't runny. But all in all, a good first run.

Now, why, might you ask, am I going on and on about a rich, creamy, fattening breakfast on my weight loss blog? Because I think it is important to not deprive yourself. The rest of today, while I won't "make up" the calories from this morning (which total with my hash browns and turkey sausage was actually only 630), I will stick to my calories tightly. I've enjoyed my big breakfast and for today, I will feel satisfied with that. And during the rest of the week, when I see a recipe or something I want to try that would normally be off limits, I can add it to my list of Sunday rituals. It is something to look forward to on the days when I'm missing my old eating (though, that hasn't happened quite as much as I would have thought).

One major thing about my cheat day, is that it has been all home cooked. I have managed to not eat any fast food (other than Subway) and no candy bars. Before, if someone gave me a cheat day (though, everyday was my cheat day, but you get the point) I would have had McDonald's for breakfast and lunch, a candy bar for dessert, and countless sodas. Now, I really feel invested and while I consider the cheat day important to my sanity, I don't want to completely undo everything I've done. I think that's progress.