,

Last week, on the JillFit Facebook page I posted about what I call my "nonnegotiables," or food items that for me, help take the edge off cravings, keep me feeling more satisfied overall and prevent bigger and worse binges later.

Another word for these are preemptive cheats. These are things that are not necessarily crappy, but also not typically things you'd find on a competition prep diet. They are mid-rangers. They help prevent the "deprive-the-binge cycle" (you know, tight Monday thru Thursday, eat crap nonstop Friday thru Sunday), which occurs when you eat at the extremes. 

Examples of preemptive cheats include breakfast meats, a single glass of wine, avocado/guacamole, sugar-free chocolate or dark chocolate, dairy products like cream, cheese, butter, nuts, etc.

Nonnegotiables are a max of THREE ITEMS that are your go-to preemptive cheats. These are things that you know help you stay more consistent with your eating. Mine are cheese, wine and cream in my coffee.

Are these healthy? Not the most healthy.

But having at least one of them every single day serves several purposes:

1) Takes the edge off. 

I always say that the fastest way to bring on a binge is to deprive yourself. In other words, how you eat at breakfast affects what you will choose for lunch. And how you eat at lunch will affect how you eat at dinner. And EVEN, how you eat on MONDAY will affect how you eat this weekend! YES! Your choices have consequences--good and bad. Deprive, and you'll binge later. Non-negotiables help me never feel deprived, so when I approach Friday, I'm just good. I eat the same on Mondays that I do on Saturdays. And it's effortless. 

To try this, you'll have to shirk the old, "It's Monday, time to tighten it up!" mentality. Fine, be a little more mindful of your choices, but the idea that you can and *should* be a perfect little eater on Monday will only leave you worse off come Friday. This has to do with willpower and focus, actual biochemistry and simply not wanting to walk around like a low-carb zombie. Are you courageous enough to preemptively cheat on, gasp, Monday? :)

2) Helps me navigate that middle road, i.e. moderation.

We are always weighing results against what we can actually do. And while getting lean is awesome, if you are white-knuckling your way through some crazy strict diet in order to "get results," any results you get will inevitably be unsustainable. Why? Because a strategy of resist, resist, resist is not a long-term solution. And it eventually gets you in trouble. 

Moderation, only the other hand, never gets you in trouble. It's a forever solution, and it also doesn't have to mean no results either. Think about it. 90% clean 7 days a week will always beat 4 days tight + 3 days of straight bingeing, when it comes to BOTH results AND sanity. Imagine waking up and eating the same satisfying meals every day. Never too hungry or craving. And never too stuffed or remorseful. Moderation serves this lifestyle up on a platter. Use your nonnegotiables.

3) Boosts my quality of life.

When I say 'quality of life,' I'm not talking about how our culture sees "food as fun" and we can only be having a good, relaxing time if we are stuffing our faces. Because if you think about it, that isn't really all that awesome either, is it? In the moment, it feels good to eat to our heart's desire, but later on we feel like crap, physically and emotionally. 

No, what I'm talking about are using small "nutritional gimmes" to feel more satisfied in the moment, but not to the point of overdoing it. Using nonnegotiables strategically should never make us feel stuffed and remorseful, which is why preemptive cheats shouldn't be actual cheats. They should be pseudo-cheats (these also help us feel like moderation is okay and not a failure). Nonnegotiables help us enjoy life more, sans guilt. 

Not having half & half in my coffee every morning would be a serious QOL issue. Why? Because setting the tone for the day as one of satisfaction--rather than deprivation--helps me make better, healthier decisions later in the day. 

So what are your nonnegotiables? Name them. Up to 3 items. 

Remember, these are not blatant cheats, because even those can become obsessive and make us feel like we have to "earn them," or have to do penance at the gym to "burn them off." Preemptive cheats a built-in part of your normal eating. They are also not "rewards" for a week well-eaten. They are not "special treats" to have when we somehow deem ourselves worthy. Nope.

Nonnegotiables are simply part of your everyday eating strategy. Daily.

Think on it and let me know how you're doing! :) xo

Cheers, Jill