Last week was my birthday, and to celebrate, I feasted. I have eaten only healthy food since I started this 12 Week Challenge, and I was craving something greasy. I wound up sitting behind a table that was loaded with the likes of cheeseburgers, poutine, and nachos. It was glorious, and if there had been any long supressed cravings lurking about, they were taken care of.  Oh, I also polished off a small cheesecake for dessert.

 I fasted the entire day leading up to this meal, and decided not to worry about calories, or macros, or choosing healthy food. Just an all out stuff your guts feast.

 So, what effect did this have on my fat loss progress? It killed it. The next morning I looked puffy, was 2kg heavier, and felt pretty gross. I realise that the majority of this is just water retention following such a face stuffing, but even after five days of returning to my healthy ways, the residual effects are still there. My waist measurement went up this week, as did my weight.

 This is a perfect example of why making healthy food choices is so important. I eat a big filling meal every night. The difference is that it is a big meal of vegetables, meat,.and some rice, not fried cheese, and gravy. I'd say that my birthday dinner was in the range of 3000-3500 calories. There is no way I could eat 3000 calories of healthy food in one sitting. People always talk about how five days of hard work can be undone on the weekend. The truth is it can be undone in one meal.

 Lesson learned though. Another important point is that I didn't freak out and cut calories or try to play catch up by running hill sprints every morning this week. I got carried away, but I will catch up by returning to my regular diet and carrying on. When I emphasize sustainability this is what I'm talking about. Sure, I took a step back, but taking three more steps forward is as easy as continuing on as before, and being patient. So that's what I'm doing.  If I do get another craving for some "cheat food", I will be smarter.  The IIFYM approach to dieting can be useful, and in hindsight, that would have been the way to go.

 Keep an eye on my progress here and on facebook. If you have anything to share about fat loss, healthy cooking, or exercise be sure to leave a comment. If you feel like showing some support be sure to click like, or share!