Stop the Cheat Day Life

It’s day three of the new diet and that strawberry glazed cupcake in the display case looks incredible — it feels like a sin to walk past it without dropping $5 to take just a few bites.

Later that day I inhale a bag of buttery popcorn while watching a movie. A couple Trader Joe’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups turns into half the box. The record of three days with no sugar or carbs or, well, most things, crumbles to pieces for the sixth time this month — another diet failed.

Then the guilt kicks in.

“Well I guess I’ll start again next week.”

Diets fall off track. It happens. According to The Council on Size and Weight Discrimination, 95 percent of diets fail. But the guilt of falling off another diet isn’t the only problem — the intense changes your body makes while dieting can be brutal to your physical health. Trendy Instagram fad diets, like Atkins or Keto, shouldn’t be promoting the removal of entire food groups or putting our bodies in starvation mode. We should be shown how to live a sustainable healthy life, so we can feel the best possible without guilt.

The cycle of dieting, then falling off, dieting again and falling off is called yo-yo dieting — something many teenagers struggle with without even realizing it. When your body goes on a diet and you lose weight, your appetite increases and your body is trained to survive in strict circumstances. Because of this, weight can be gained back faster once you drop the diet.

 yo-yo dieting: (noun) the practice of repeatedly losing weight by dieting and subsequently regaining it

When I hear teenagers say things like “ugh spring break is next week I can’t have that ice cream,” the intentions are unhealthy to begin with because healthy eating shouldn’t be super restricting or only to lose weight. It may be to look good in a single vacation post and get those 30 extra likes or maybe it’s to squeeze the zipper closed on a little black dress. When there are unhealthy intentions, the most common diets defaulted to are unhealthy quick fixes — fad diets.

Fad diets advertise benefits like glowing skin or dropping two jean sizes in a few weeks. While I’m sure many people wouldn’t mind looking like Gigi Hadid, these diets often don’t promote the most healthy and sustainable eating habits for teenagers.

For example, a major part of our body’s energy source is carbs. With a majority of diets knocking out even healthy carbs like quinoa, dieting can hit you with exhaustion because your body isn’t getting the nutrients it needs. When I tried Whole 30, there were days when the ground looked way too comfortable — I was ready to take a nap any chance I got.

The psychology behind strict diets puts cravings at the center of your life and thoughts, making it easy to slip up. When you’re dieting to look good for things like prom, the unhealthy eating you go back to when you’re done can gain all the weight back and contribute to even further unhealthy eating habits.

Instead of getting trapped in a cycle of intense diets for short periods of time, a balanced and maintainable diet should be promoted in the media and more common in teenagers’ lives. In no way is a healthy lifestyle something easy and perfect, but it’s much more healthful than yo-yo dieting.

“As a dietician I just always encourage people to eat as much real, natural food as you can,” certified dietician Tara Flint said. “You’re going to be way better off than with something that seems like a quick fix or an easy way out.”

The best way to ease yourself into healthy eating patterns is to start small. Whether that’s asking for no whip on your frappe in the morning or replacing dinner dessert with a bowl of strawberries  — anywhere is a good (and much more sustainable) place to start.

Work to make healthy eating your normal lifestyle. You will always be welcome to treat yourself every once in a while as long as you know that won’t spiral you out of control. If you go out for dinner with your family on Friday night, order that burger —  but maybe get a side salad instead of fries. Not feeling completely restricted is key to getting to a point where healthy eating is a normal thing.

The most important thing about living a healthy lifestyle is to not worry if you slip up. So when you eat that cupcake or down that popcorn, don’t let it control you or be an excuse for a whole entire cheat day (or life). When you eat healthy all year long, you won’t have to worry about going on an intense diet a month before vacations — you’ll feel good all the time.