Week 1 of the “Bekah Try-It Diet” is officially coming to a close, and good news: I survived it! The first 3 days were an honest struggle as I soldiered on in the “Flat Belly Diet.” I was starting to regret this entire process, and I had to motivate myself to finish the “sassy water”* that the beginning of the food plan required.

*Sassy water is water infused with lemon, cucumber, ginger, and mint. It’s meant to help relieve bloating, but instead, it leaves you generally more miserable because of its taste. Some people like it. I don’t get it.

The Beauty of a “Cheat Day”

In the midst of my sassy water misery, I received a magical gift: my birthday. I had decided early on that I was going to use my birthday as a cheat day, and no one argued with that decision. Some experts even encourage taking an occasional cheat day as a reset, so nothing was going to stop me from eating all of my favorite things.

I ate all of those things and more. Then, something incredible happened: the next day, I was more than ready to get back on program. I didn’t miss having cheesecake for breakfast. I didn’t make puppy dog eyes at my husband’s ice cream. I didn’t even complain about the next batch of sassy water. Even though I had loved every minute of celebrating with food, my body knew that it was time to get back to eating healthy things.

Mental Wellness

In the midst of all of this, I was reading some comments on what makes the right protein powders for keto from my previous post. A few people were bringing up some questions: Was it really ok to be focused on the number on the scale? Was I ready for the disappointment that would come if and when I didn’t follow the diet exactly? Was it ok for me to be talking about dieting?

I’m glad I read these comments after my cheat day experiment. Cheat day was my reminder of how unhealthy I am in my regular life. I eat when I’m sad, happy, cold, confused, and sleepy. I eat even when I know I don’t need to eat. I continue to eat, even after I’m full.

Dieting is a dirty word, but eating foods that are good for me makes me feel better than junk food ever did.

Tweet This

You see, my mental problems with food have always been on the other side of dieting. They’re found in the shame spiral I would do into a bag of white cheddar popcorn every single night: I got sad, so I ate, but then I thought about how unhealthy I was, so I felt sad, so I ate, and none of it made me feel good about the person I was becoming.

I get it. Dieting is a dirty word that brings up thoughts of restriction and misery. But this week of having fun with my “Try-It Diet” and focusing on foods that are good for me has made me feel so much better than junk food ever did (even though I still love you, junk food. We just need some serious time apart.)

The Best and Worst of Week #1

I’m going to go ahead and say the one thing that I always hated hearing from others who were eating healthy: it does get easier after a few days! Here are the best and worst moments of the “Flat Belly Diet,” and my first week in this adventure:

• I loved the flexibility of snacks. The rules were fairly easy to follow, and I found that I actually enjoyed most of the things that I ate, even if it took me a few days to find my rhythm. I think an apple with some almond butter might become a staple snack!
• I don’t know if I’ve made this clear or not, but I loathed the sassy water. Loathed.
• Adding “healthy fats” to my meals was more of a hassle than anything. Sure, it was easy when dark chocolate was involved. But remembering olive oil to go with my lunch felt like a true chore.
• Cheat days are beneficial if done correctly. I’m no nutritionist, so I can’t advise you on how to use them, but it’s nice to have something to look forward to.
• Nothing happens overnight. Halfway through day one, I was checking to see if my love handles were gone yet. They weren’t. But the needle on the scale moved a tiny little bit, and I could imagine seeing great results if I were to stick with this plan.

The adventure continues next week with a diet plan that I’m not sure Wally would survive! I’ll tell you more about it Monday. Until then, I’ll be busy reading food labels like I swore I never would.