So yesterday was Thanksgiving. As such, there's a reasonable chance that some of you indulged in some minor culinary indiscretions - hopefully implementing some of the "cheat" meal strategies we've discussed for controlling the damage.
First off, leave any guilt at the door. Again, there's no judgment here. It wouldn't serve any use anyhow, as what's done is done.
And hopefully you enjoyed yourself immensely!
We had a wonderful meal. Jenny made many of our family favorites, which have evolved over the years. As I've said before, I enjoy these holiday meals now than ever before, even if I only adhere to the offerings fully within TMM guidelines (which are most).
My own indulgence was a couple bites of pumpkin cheesecake (gluten-free, of course!). This is something Jenny began making (and even selling) a couple of decades ago, and I eat it as much for the nostalgia as the taste.
So, I didn't blow it out. But I've certainly gone off script much more so in past years.
In those instances, I've fasted the following day.
We've discussed on multiple occasions the benefits of fasting periodically. My preference is to do it organically as much as possible - to use it as a tool when the circumstances call for it.
After a particularly intense bout of exercise in the heat, for example, in an effort to rest my gut until it's fully healed.
Or, in this case, after a "cheat meal." Fasting after a cheat meal is the quickest way of restoring the body to its pre-cheat baseline. Plus, you get the benefits of the fast on top of it. In my view, it's a way of turning a cheat meal into a net positive.
A modified option would be eating mostly protein on your post-cheat day.
Now, a final word of caution.
"Getting away" with a cheat meal may lead you to wonder if this is something you might could do more often.
It can be tempting to think that maybe if you employ these strategies all the time, you can go off plan on a regular basis.
After making significant progress on TMM program and getting away with a cheat meal or two, it's natural to wonder if perhaps you're invincible. Maybe The Beast has forgotten about you altogether, and moved on to easier targets?
Resist this line of thinking!
Trust me, these things do add up. While we certainly can't undo all the health benefits and beastly protection of TMM program with a single meal, they will eventually fade away if we consistently lapse back into old habits.
You've heard many of our guests on the podcast relate this cautionary tale. They make significant progress with the plan and decide to test the waters a bit. Things go well at first. Old habits continue to creep back in until things take a nosedive.
And then it takes weeks or longer to get back to where they'd been before.
I've joked before that this almost seems to be a rite of passage for those in our community. And there are silver linings to having this experience - it certainly reinforces exactly why you began TMM program to begin with, and reminds you how far you've come.
That said, if you can avoid it altogether, even better! And my hope in sharing this message is that it keeps some of you from the suffering that comes from learning this first-hand.
Slay the Beast!
Dr. T
PS -- If you signed up for the challenge late and are looking for the recipe guide, you can find the Day 2 email with the link to the guide here.
