Cheating...

Okay, you had to know I was going to do a post about this.

I mean, really, who goes 31 days without cheating, at least a little?  Well...okay, you can go 31 days without cheating, but I want to tell you, it's okay if you give yourself a break sometime.

As you know, I started off this series by saying I would avoid sugar for 31 days.  And so far, I have.  It has not been too difficult as I've been filling myself with delicious pumpkin and green smoothies, doing some juicing, and staying at home instead of stopping into the local bakery. ;)  But, today is Thanksgiving.  We get together with family.  And we eat.

So, I know what you are thinking, that I over-indulged on that pumpkin pie??  Nope.  I decided to be strong and skip dessert. However, given that it was the holiday, I decided to allow myself a little wiggle room.  I ate many appetizers without asking what was in them, but let me tell you, there was one creamy artichoke jalapeno dip that was so amazing, and I am sure it had a nice chunk of sugar and who knows what else in there.  I stayed away from the buns (wheat causes migraines for me) but I allowed myself gravy all over my turkey.  I kept to drinking water instead of the many other beverages offered.

So, a few tips on what to do when deciding to "cheat"...

1.  Decide beforehand that you are going to "cheat", and decide what that looks like.  Are you going to have that slice of pumpkin pie but no sugary beverage?  Or will you decide on no dessert and enjoy thirds seconds on that delicious turkey dinner?

2.  Don't announce what you are doing.  I tried really hard to not share that I was avoiding sugar, but it did come out by the end of the night.  Why do I say keep it to yourself?  Often at holiday get-togethers people can start to question you, making you feel guilty for wanting to eat healthy.  I think it's a cultural thing- we get together and when we do we love to eat!  And when someone isn't partaking the way everyone else may be, it seems to stir up feelings in people. If you can eat what you want and avoid what you want without too many people noticing, it's easier to accomplish staying away from all the treats everyone else is eating.

3.  Remind yourself why you are doing what you are doing.  When I was having a low moment earlier in the day, feeling like I could reach for something I knew I shouldn't, I asked myself "in 30 minutes, if I don't eat this, will I regret it?"  Chances are the answer is often no.  But if I do eat it, in 30 minutes I may regret it once my tummy isn't feeling so well.

4.  Go for a walk.  It's a tradition for our family at Thanksgiving to take a walk.  We like to do it after we've filled up on too many appetizers because we need something to get us away from all that delicious food!  By the time we get back we are usually a little more distracted with other things to fill up on too much more.

5.  Don't bring leftovers home.  I feel much better about giving myself a bit of a break today knowing that my fridge wasn't full of all those yummy treats!  We did bring a pie home, but will be giving it away.  If you are the host, try sending leftovers home with others.  College kids especially love turkey leftovers!

Do you have any tips you use to help you get through the sugary holidays? ;)

This is day 7 in my 31 day series:  31 days to Healthier Grub.