Cheat days lead to March MadnessWeighing In

Lindsay Eichelman
Project & Promotions Manager

Cheat days are BAD. Period. I used to be of the mindset that we all need days where we are allowed to cheat on the healthy eating, healthy living stuff. Truth is, it never goes well. Normal people would look at these days as days where they shouldn’t be quite as strict or worry too much about what they are eating. I, on the other hand, apparently am not a normal person. I decide that it’s a good idea to COMPLETELY LOSE MY MIND.

True story: I decided I was going to give alcohol up for Lent this year. I did however, up front, build in one cheat day to my Lenten journey because I’m a sucker for March Madness. I mean who doesn’t like to enjoy a cold beer in conjunction with some serious basketball? All of the fun events surrounding the Big Ten tournament and Selection Sunday paired with the fact that I had friends coming to town made Saturday my perfect cheat day.

That would’ve been the case had I any self-control whatsoever. Instead, I used my “cheat day” as a day where I consumed every bad thing I could get my hands on. I seriously didn’t just fall of the wagon; I got caught under it’s wheels over and over again.

So now here I sit on Monday morning suffering from March Madness alright — and not the kind I enjoy. I’m beating myself up for behaving so poorly this weekend. And I’ve decided that I’m done with this idea of cheat days. It never works out for me how I plan it to.

I think the bottom line is that while I try to change my mindset, I still treat this as a diet when really it needs to be lifestyle change. This is something I will continue to work on.

In the meantime, please enjoy March Madness! Soak up some serious basketball — and maybe even a frosty beverage or two. But don’t declare a cheat day. Simply pair that enjoyment with a smaller meal or an extra workout.