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Not a week goes by when I don’t get an email from a client trying to work through her ‘binge’ eating….

You know those moments…you’ve done well all day, and you’ve had a healthy dinner, only to ruin it with a bowl of ice cream…

Yep, we all have those moments, but what I say is this…when you are in control of it, and you do it once in awhile (that, in my book, is once every 7-14 days, and it’s a cookie, a small bowl of ice cream, a bag of chips), then it’s what we who live clean and lean called a controlled cheatA controlled cheat is a once-in-awhile-treat.

In fact, I build cheat meals into all my programs as a way to feed the soul and help with additional fat loss (yes, it is a fat loss tool when used properly), but it must be done right.

For me, my ‘treat’ is a big, fat chocolate chip cookie from Starbucks. I just love them! (I’ve been known to dip into a jar of Nutella too, but I’ve learned I can’t keep it in the house, period. So having to go out and buy a Starbuck’s cookie keeps me in line a little better…). I used to eat Starbucks muffins on a daily basis. My reason: It was my quiet time, my reward in the middle of a busy day where I was taking care of everyone else…so now it’s MY time, darn it!

Well, whatever….sure…I could have stayed with that story, but I was getting fat and feeding a sugar habit that wouldn’t let go. Day after day. Some reward. I still remember those feelings of guilt and self-loathing….I never, ever wish to live there again. Ever.

Fast forward four years and that same Starbucks treat has been re-tooled into something that actually works for me. Rather than an addiction, it’s now become a tool. It holds a different meaning, and it holds no power over me anymore.

Picture right: Yep, that’s me, just a week before my latest competition, chowing down on a Starbuck’s cookie. Just one, just to ease the pain of a 3-month long weight loss journey. It also kick starts my metabolism to help me continue to lose those last bits of fat before I step on stage….and I’m runnin’ the show here…

Yep, controlled cheating is an art, and lean people (and lean-living competitors) have mastered the skill. But more importantly, it’s a mind set. I like to teach my women to use a treat as a tool for clean eating and proper weight loss, to control the cheat, rather than have it control you. Therein lies the rub: whom – or what – is controlling whom

So next time you feel the urge to splurge, ask yoursefl why, why do you want that ice cream? Never mind saying because it tastes good…dig deeper. Do you feel entitled? Sad? Mad? Lonely? Perhaps you can learn our way, the lean woman’s way, and say, I choose to and it’s ok. It feeds me in other ways, and I am in total control here.

Karen

PS If you’re looking for a FREE, full-on training and eating program, try my 8-Week BLISS Body Makeover Program included in my book – One Rep at a Time. Videos, workout cards, eating, lifestyle and sooo much more. Come live the life…live like lean, fit women live. There’s a whole tribe of us out there. Available at www.amazon.com, www.amazon.ca and at Tanner’s books in Sidney, BC. Buy the Book.