2/16 170.4
2/23 171.5
3/2 168.4
3/9 170.6
3/16 166.7
3/23 167.6
3/30 168.4
4/6 164.2
4/13 162.7
4/20 163.4
4/27 164.9
5/4 161.8
5/13 164.7
5/18 163.1
Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I didn't completely pig out once a week. Some people have the self-control for that. But I can't tell you how much I look forward to it... it helps me stay on track and resist things I shouldn't eat the rest of the week. I don't have to to look at a Snickers bar and say "Nope, I can't have that stuff any more", I get to say "Oooh, I'm gonna have three of those on Saturday." And then I usually don't. We call it "Eat All the Things" day but I can't really eat all the things (although I try, some days I really try).
Another way that it helps me: if I have a bad weigh-in (like I have about every other week lately), I don't get depressed about it. It's hard to stay bummed for long when you're about to go to Epic Deli for lunch. If I haven't done anything wrong to cause the weight gain, I can shrug it off and say "Next week will be better. But today will still be pretty good, because of ice cream."
Yet another way it helps? There's evidence that having a high calorie day every so often is very good for your metabolism, because it increases your leptin levels. Leptin is a hormone that influences hunger. When you cut your calories, your leptin levels also drop. This causes hunger signals, and as a result, your body will hold onto fat, thinking that it’s going to need it to survive in the terrifying future where you're only going to eat chicken breasts and fruit and vegetables. Cheat days keep your body guessing. You don’t want your body thinking that it’s going to be getting low calories forever. Throwing in a high calorie day sends your body a signal that food is plentiful, and that it’s okay to shed some fat reserves because there’s not a famine on the horizon.
And the bottom line, for me, is that I don't think I could last without it. Maybe that whole leptin theory is off, and I would lose a lot faster without Eat All the Things Day. But I'm not about to find out. Losing slowly is fine with me. I've lost about 85 pounds since March 2012, and I have very little of the saggy skin you see from Biggest Losers who lose that amount in a matter of five or six months. I'm also building what I hope will be lifetime habits, and that doesn't happen overnight. So you take your time, body! In the meantime, I'm going to give you some cake today.