Back to FAQs on Cheat Days Return of the Chemicals

The grand finale for why I am not on team Cheat Days. As much as part of me agrees with the Psychological need for a break from the mundane, and how possibly having a different type of foods to break up the monotony is a good thing, I can’t due to the chemical reaction our bodies will have to hormone disruptors of Sugar, Wheat, Processed Food and Artificial Sweeteners.

The reason below is the biggest in my mind for why I am so opposed to going off of my food plan. Yes, the psychological and destructive behavior of inviting trouble back into our lives is problematic, but they pale in comparison to what I am about to discuss.

If we have successfully detoxed off of Sugar, Grains and Artificial Sweeteners, which takes a good 60 days, why would be want to let it back in? Especially on a Holiday when we should be celebrating? Think about it… Merry Christmas, now spend the next 2 months fighting off cravings for Sugar? Crazy but that is what most of us do, without knowing we are doing it.

For those of us who have weaned off of sugar, and then go back to our old ways, there is something crazy happening in our brain called Euphoric Recall. Basically, our brain is so excited that Sugar is back in our body, the food will taste better than it actually does, so we will keep eating it. Yes, our body will essentially be working AGAINST our efforts to live as healthy as possible when it comes to Sugar, Flour and Artificial Sweeteners.

The headaches will return, we will want more Sugar and it will only be much harder to get off of it this time. We often have an episode of magical thinking where we convince ourselves, this time it “will be different”, and we won’t go off the rails and we won’t wake up 2 weeks late, 10 pounds heavier with sour patch kids stuck in hair not super sure what the heck happened. In a word: chemicals. Sugar had hijacked your brain and then your body. Sugar will demand more Sugar, and things can easily get out of control.

Cheat days can become a problem and the largest is the chemical reaction we will have to the reintroduction of the triggering food. No matter how noble our intentions are, we can not argue with the realities of Science, and the impact certain chemicals have upon our system.

Tomorrow’s Topic in the FAQ series; So what exactly does a Weight Loss Coach do???