Cheating

I've started a new diet, I've spent the last week and a half reading through about 4 different nutrition books, and I'm going to eventually start a Diet Log, so I can get some tips.
What I want to ask now, is about cheating. Right now, I'm eating three meals a day, with three snacks, one after breakfast, one after lunch, one after dinner. My snacks are always either fruit, vegetables with peanut butter, or some low fat yogurt.
Now, thats 21 "snacks" a week. Would it be bad to replace maybe one or two of those healthy snacks with whatever I want? Some cookies, some ice cream, etc?

for your sanity it is advisable to periodically cheat. keep in mind you're much better off having a whole day of bad food and 6 days of good food, than cheating a little bit each day.

Eric, always reward yourself but just keep in under control and don't go overboard. Pick a day a week like a Friday night or Saturday that you are able to indulge on. This can be a reward for a hard weeks worth of work. And if you cheat more then once just know that you will have to work harder at it later ... or in the gym ... or in class to burn it off.

You're young and from what I remember you looking like you don't seem to have a weight problem at all so don't go overboard on the diet either. Eating healthier and smarter is always good, especially supplemented by weight lifting and cardio. And don't forget your water.

We all cheat ... I cheat too much. Just don't let the diet run your life or ruin your life. You still have to live. And when living sometimes you have to indulge. My indulgence ... chocolate ... yummmmm.

EDIT: Here's a tip I use. I like salad but I have to have salad dressing. I can't eat it without and I like Ranch dressing. Here's the tip, instead of putting the dressing on the salad, dap your fork in the dressing prior to each time you stab your fork into the salad. You will use much less dressing and still get that dressing taste.

If you have 'started a new diet' that means that you plan eventualy to 'stop' the diet. This will instantly begin to undo any good you achieved as you watch your meticulously kept food journal disappear under the cookie wrappers

I am a firm believer in keeping a food journal for a month prior to changing any eating habits. Seeing it in black and white then allows you to identify weak spots accurately. Keeping a food journal whilst making the effort to eat well tells you nothing, and is merely encouraging the development of an obsessive compulsive disorder, not to mention being an hour by hour reminder of what you are depriving yourself of (thus making you crave 'treats' all the more).
Eating healthy is not a finite process- there should be no finish line, no goal and no target, other than maximising your chances of health, wellbeing and longevity through your entire life.
Do you want to live the rest of your life without so much as one cookie? No
Do you want to wright down everything you eat for the rest of your entire life? I hope not

You have to start looking at your psychological links to food. Why do you see certain foods as 'rewards' and 'treats', and more importantly, why you see healthy eating as such a drag as to require all this willpower.

Look at ways to excite your pallate through use of herbs and spices in your cooking- you dont need cream sauces, salt and sugar to create flavour in food.
Look to ethnic cuisine for dishes that are low in saturated fat (the meditarranean diet is very good, as is much chinese/japanese cuisine).

Rather than 'balls to the wall' cast iron willpower that will only last a short time, use your willpower in a more measured way. Its a long journey, dont start off at a sprint.
Any eating plan that involves sticks of raw vegeteables dipped in peanut butter is doomed- thats not a snack, thats just gross.

Relax, enjoy life and make healthy choices along the way.
Below are some ideas of how to have health and a more relaxed attitude to food at the same time.

pizza: Medium w/ tuna/chicken, olives, sweetcorn, mushrooms and a very light sprinkle of cheese

chinese: boiled plain rice, chicken and monks vegetables, bowl of hot and sour soup.

Italian: Bolognaise, but made with turkey mince or tuna instead of minced beef.

Burgers: Make your own out of good lean cuts of beef, or butchers finest mince (much less fat). Grill or BBQ instead of fry.

The list goes on. By doing this, there need never be deprivation in your eating. Any of the above would fit into a healthy eating plan. No 'treats' necessary, just tasty meals that are not full of saturated fat and unnecessary calories.

If you choose to stick with what you have planned then good luck to you (and your PB covered celery), but an occasional cookie wont hurt you, even as well as, not instead of one of your 'snacks'. Having cookies everyday however compromises the rest of your eating plan. Having said that, PB is made from roasted nuts and is choc full of saturated fat so its no better than a cookie anyway. Go figure.

I've found that the easiest way to keep from cheating is to take any thinking out of the equation. I fortunately have some odd brain makeup that lets me eat the exact same thing for breakfast and lunch for going on a year now and not get sick of it.

Every morning I eat a bowl of Total ceral, two sticks of turkey sausage, one piece of whole grain toast with fake butter omega-3 spread. washed down with 12oz of skim milk

Every lunch I brown bag it to work with a turkey and mustard sandwich on whole grain bread, carrots, raw red peppers, and fat free pretzels. I eat this after the gym and after my protein shake that is 16 oz of skim milk with 2 scoops of protein powder.

So, I get 580 quality calories in the morning, and if you include my shake, I get 950 calories at lunch. My mid-day total is about 120grams of protein and 40-50 grams of fat.

I think being too sleepy to think at breakfast and too tired form the gym to care at lunch lets me eat this stuff over and over.

That just leaves dinner for me to mess up on, but more often than not it is some variation of baked/grilled chicken and vegetables. Also, I try to snack on almonds instead of any junk stuff. they are fatty but in a good way.

im on the wendys diet