Cheating On My Diet. What To Do?

Dear Alice,

Any tips on how to avoid cheating on my diet? No matter how much I try to control myself I end up giving in… Any suggestions?

Yes, we’re all human and all feel like cheating on our diet sometimes. BEFORE you do cheat, however, try following these steps first to try to avoid giving in to the temptation and sabotaging your diet.

1. Drink 2 glasses of cold water
2. Have a fruit or vegetable
3. Brush your teeth
4. Look into the mirror and remind yourself of your goals.

Convince yourself that you ARE strong enough to do it!

Hope this helps and remember you CAN DO IT! If you cheated, it’s NOT the end. Continue following the diet without punishing yourself by skipping any meals or snacks. Transformation takes time but it’s worth it!

On another note....

Rosh Hashanah and dieting... how are they similar?

Tracking food is comparable to vidui where we don’t just admit what we did wrong, we need to admit it out loud or in our case, on paper.

Scales... they can weigh our food or our weight. Scales are also the symbolic icon of the ‘day of judgment’.

On Yom Kippur we make a lot of commitments to be better or even perfect but then we quickly go back to our old ways unless we make small commitments that we stick to long after the inspiration is gone. Same with better eating. In order to make real changes and make our inspiration last we must make concrete, specific AND sustainable changes.

The same way we are accountable to Hashem, we are accountable to our bodies (even if we eat/sin in private). Hashem knows what we did wrong and if we don’t correct it, He can’t fully forgive us. So too, our bodies know what we ate and we are accountable for it. The only way to become better is to make a genuine change.

Say you cheat on your diet or have a sin... that doesn’t mean it’s all over; you repent and start again.

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Alice Harrosh is a Nutrition Counselor and Manager at Nutrition by Tanya, with 12 locations, including one on Main street in Queens! Alice knows that making healthy choices is not always easy, as she has been through the struggle herself. As an optimistic person, Alice’s favorite quote is: “It’s never too late to start eating better. If you have a bad morning, make it a better afternoon.” For more information on Nutrition by Tanya or the TAP (Tanya-approved products) food line, please visit www.nutritionbytanya.com or call 844-Tanya-Diet (844-826-9234). For daily tips and inspiration, you may follow @nutritionbytanya on Instagram.