I get asked a lot why I don't do "cheat" days:

As a person, I believe that words carry a lot of weight and meaning- much more so than we acknowledge in our every day life. I try to choose my words carefully to ensure that they accurately reflect what I am trying to say.

To "cheat" means to "act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage, especially in a game or examination."

Having a meal that is higher in fat, calories or sugars is not dishonest, unfair, unkind or disrespectful of my body. While not exercising moderation and consideration in my food choices can have lasting effects, the fact of the matter is that one poutine is not only not going to kill me...it's also not going to completely derail and devastate me.

Food no longer holds that power over me.

I am not in a relationship with food. It is nourishment, pure and simple. Sometimes that nourishment is better quality than other times. Sometimes it tastes more pleasurable than other times. Sometimes it is meeting different cravings than other times.

I have had a really troubled relationship with food my entire life. I have felt too much secret joy, which would turn into guilt in the middle of the night. I have struggled with eating everything in sight, and then in doing my very best to eat absolutely nothing for as long as I could. I have used food to fill voids, and I have voided myself of good foods.

I am done personifying food- pretending that everytime I eat something, I am committing adultery or lying my way through life.

I am NOT in a relationship with food. Food serves me, and I choose how it will serve me.

I am not accountable to my diet, or even my body. I am accountable to myself as a whole human being, one that deserves the right to make choices that reflect my wants, needs, and desires whether they be physical, emotional, psychological, or spiritual.

Some of these choices will be healthier than others.

And that it ok.

I do not expect perfection from myself. Making an imperfect choice does not make me a cheater.

In fact, learning to be kind to myself and to expect imperfection has helped me come this far...