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Alright, so it's the beginning of a new year, and I'm sure many of you have probably made resolutions that have something to do with losing weight. Are you trying to get in better shape? Are you trying to eat healthier?If you've never seen success with traditional diets that limit what you can eat, then maybe you should try The Cheat System Diet. Basically, eat whatever you want from the Eats list (a lot of vegetables) and you earn yourself some Cheats.
I picked up this book at Dollar Tree a couple months ago, and I've been reading the book since November and implementing some of the diet's techniques off and on through the holiday season. (The holidays are probably never the best time to start any type of diet.)
A little bit about the program: This is a diet system that's supposed to be easy. It literally boils down to what I typed up above: eat the Eats and you earn some Cheats. What are Eats? Vegetables, fruits, good fats, good protein. The book devotes a couple pages listing all the Eats, as well as what foods are Cheats. Add in a little bit of exercise every day (at least 20 minutes, broken up however works best for you) and some special stretches, and that's kind of the plan.
I have to be honest, as I was reading about the Eats and Cheats, I thought it sounded a little confusing. Sure, you're not counting calories, but you're still trying to keep track of what you've eaten. It's just not as strict.
Thankfully, the book also provides recipes, and that was a huge help for me in understanding how the Eats versus Cheats work. Just stick to the recipes in the book, and you'll get the hang of it. (And it was nice that these recipes were generally gluten-free and dairy-free and/or easy for us to adapt. Later on in the book, the author suggests cutting out gluten.)
I tested out some of the recipes and definitely found some winners, which you're seeing in photograph form throughout this blog. (The stir-fry is a definite must in our rotation. I'd cut back on the amount of sugar snap peas, though.)
It did take me awhile to finish the book, obviously, and here's why:
1. I wanted to take it one week at a time. The book is divided into a three-week system, with breakfast, lunch, and dinner meal plans for each week. I thought I'd start with week one and then move on to weeks two and three, which don't vary that much from the first week.
But I didn't get started on week one until the end of November/beginning of December because of vacation and Thanksgiving.
2. The holidays. I had good intentions, but like I said before, the holidays are just not the time to start any type of diet. If I'm going to attend a cookie exchange, I'm going to eat some cookies.
3. My kid. I have to be careful about what I'm making for dinner because I want there to be the slightest chance that my picky eater will actually eat what's in front of her. I don't have time to make multiple dinners. There were several recipes in the book that sounded good to me, but I knew that my daughter (and possibly my husband) would not be excited about it.
I don't want it to seem like I'm making excuses... But I am.
So here's my takeaway from this book: While I'm not sure I can eat Cheat System recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every week, I can definitely incorporate some of its principles. Heavy on the veggies! I need to always have some on hand when it's snack time.
And at least once a week, I can make a Cheat System dinner, incorporating these recipes into our rotation of family favorites and other healthy recipes that I want to try.
Am I a bit bummed about buying this book? No! It was $1. And a dollar well spent because now I basically have a cookbook full of breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes that I can make, and an exercise plan that is easy to attain.
What are your goals for this year when it comes to your health? Let me know in the comments!
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