One thing we talk a lot about a JillFit is the idea of deprivation when it comes to food.

I spent years either being "on" a super-depriving contest diet OR completely "off," eating to my heart's desire. I remember readying myself mentally and nutritionally for a "start date" before which I would eat everything in sight because I knew come Monday my contest diet was starting. 

At the tiniest inference of certain foods being "off limits," it was all I could to not eat every single treat, sweet and cheat in anticipation of the deprivation I knew I would experience during my "on season."

I see a lot of competitors eating humongous cheat meals. They call them "refeeds" and make it like it's a normal part of a healthy eating regimen. In my opinion, it perpetuates the all-or-nothing dieting mentality. Do some people do fine on cheat meals? Sure. But for the majority, it will reinforce being "on" or "off" and the idea that you have to earn the right to eat junk. 

Besides, taking in thousands of cals of straight sugar is basically just a binge, isn't it? No different than me justifying my overindulgences by being "off season" or "bulking." And in those moments, when I was downing 5 ginormous cookies from the Whole Foods bakery and 8 oz of half & half at a sitting, I can guarantee you, there was nothing clinical about it. It was desperation and compulsion based entirely on the fact that I had previously been totally deprived. I was obsessed with getting my sugar fix. How could I not, when I'd used up every scrap of my willpower in 12 weeks prepping for a show?

And so, it would follow that deprivation is what leads to overindulgence. 

It's not being weak or undisciplined or "not wanting it badly enough." The degree to which we feel deprived is directly related to the degree to which we will eventually overindulge.

You might be doing the weekly deprive-then-binge cycle, like I was for many years. Monday through Thursday, clean as a whistle and then binging non-stop Friday through Sunday. I did this week after week and every disgusting Sunday I vowed to do better next week, start fresh on Monday, prep my food, be more disciplined, be more strict, get a handle on how out of control I was. I remember getting so angry at myself for feeling weak. I would say, "Geez, I'm such a baby, I can't even go A SINGLE FRIGGING DAY without needed a sweet or treat?! How undisciplined am I??"

So I would vow to "tighten up" and cut out whole food groups and swear off carbs and bump my cardio and white-knucle my way through the week. And when I inevitably failed at all of that, I was left feeling deflated and defeated.

Ugh!

So, if the answer is NOT to deprive further and just keep trying to white-knuckle our way to being more disciplined, what is the solution?

The answer is to do the exact opposite.

And the opposite of deprivation is relief. Build more relief into your weekly diet.

And that's a hard pill to swallow! Because ... relief?? "Holy hell, Jill, I need more discipline, not more treats!"

Ha! I get that. Totally I do. Like I said, a tough pill to swallow, but let me explain ...

Long-term, the people who are the most successful are the ones who find a balance between deprivation and indulgence. 

These people never feel completely deprived, but they also never eat everything they want. In fact, they never allow themselves to get the point of complete deprivation, which prevents them from ever feeling the compulsion to eat everything in sight. Like I said, deprive-then-binge. It's a thing. 

So, with this logic, it would follow that the only way to break the deprive-then-binge cycle would be to get LESS strict. Give yourself more relief in your diet. Why? Because more relief allows you to hit the weekend with zero cravings. Wouldn't that be amazing?? J

"But Jill, surely I can't get results by cheating daily!"

Exactly. And you don't. But, what you do do is find ways to feel satisfiedwithout it having a huge impact on your waistline. These are what I call "preemptive cheats." They are foods that satiate and satisfy but don't cause quick fat gain. Obviously blatant cheats like ice cream and cupcakes don't fall into this category (sorry!). But what about lesser "cheats" like a couple slices of bacon or a little guacamole? How about some cheese on your salad or a couple squares of sugar-free chocolate?

Are these foods considered "ideal?" Are they on a competition diet? No. But honestly, you don't have to be "perfect" to get results. "Good" gets results too. And besides, being on a competition diet only leads to more and worse cravings later, and I don't know about you, but I'm sick of the compensatory eating, where I feel out of control and blindly binging with no thought to the consequences. When I am in that space, not only can I not stop, but I don't want to. And I hate that feeling. And it certainly doesn't lend itself to reaching my goals.

So, ask yourself, could you be brave enough to try a new way? Could you, instead of trying to be more strict, build in small bits of relief in your daily meal plan? As a preventative measure against binging?

I know it's scary and it seems counterintuitive. But the reality is that if you're looking for a long-term solution, it works. If you want to crash diet, be my guest. But there's a huge difference between rapid weight loss and sustained fat loss. And if you're serious about living a lean, healthy LIFESTYLE, then you have to eventually face the fact that the old way does. Not. Work.

Besides, I don't know about you, but a controlled cheat that I plan is a thousand times more satisfying than a balls-out binge that blindsides me. I hate the unconsciousness of the latter. I'd rather be in control from the start. So begin adding built-in relief to your diet.

Here are some of my go-to preemptive cheats:

• Couple slices of bacon (or even turkey bacon or Canadian bacon)
• Avocado or guacamole
• Sprinkle of cheese on my salad or veggies
• Cheese plate or other protein/fat-centric apps at restaurants
• Couple squares of dark chocolate or sugar-free chocolate
• A small fro-yo
• A glass of red wine
• Coffee with yes, cream and stevia 

Those are a handful. Ultimately, dietary fats are good options for preemptive cheats because they are fairly neutral and make us feel more satisfied (hello, bacon). What can you use to help take the edge off? This is a practice in moderation. A leap of faith to quit the crash dieting cycle. A process that take time and conscious effort.

But the reward is getting to maintain your weight effortlessly and feel more satisfied and less deprived. Sign me up!

Let me know your thoughts on the JillFit Facebook page!

Ox, Jill

 

P.S. I am currently writing this 30k feet in the air after my airplane "dinner" of 3 glasses of a red wine plus a cheese plate, so excuse any typos J #builtinreliefFTW