A Cheat Challenge.

I don't think of myself as a cheater. Maybe other people would say I'm a cheater, but I consider myself flexible and forgiving. They call it cheating for a reason. I always thought of the term "cheat" in the context of what you eat as eating something you shouldn't. The term was always about the food but I realized it's not about the food. It's about me.

When I cheat, I cheat myself. I cheat myself out of seeing the benefits of the 6 miles I ran today. I cheat myself out of an additional pound lost this week. I cheat myself out of the reward I'm so close to earning. I cheat myself out of celebration and into frustration. I cheat myself out of more time spent at my goal weight. The more "cheats" the more delays. I am very good at being forgiving, I don't beat myself up when I choose to cheat but I had never thought of the long term, the building effect the cheats have.

So. I've decided to issue myself a cheat challenge. No cheats. If I taste it, I count it and in any given week, I can't eat more than I should. If I've got a workout scheduled, I do it. All of it. I know how I cheat and I'm challenging myself to stop it.

My "no cheat challenge" started today and goes until November 29th, the half-marathon. My weight-loss goals in that time are challenging but I can't wait to see what I can accomplish when I respect myself enough not to cheat.