I know you want to hear, "yes, it's ok," but I am not going to give you that answer.
You have to answer this question for yourself.
In order to do that, consider these pro's and con's of cheating on your diet: Pro's What can you fill in here? The most common reasons for cheating on your diet are - instant gratification, reward, habit, boredom and stress relief.
Aren't there times when you NEED a chocolate chip cookie? Look at this list.
Are there things that you could do to deal with each one?

• How can you deal with the need for instant gratification? I see, therefore I want.
  Perhaps you could walk away from the temptation before it has a chance to overwhelm you.
  Create some kind of barrier such as distance (walking away), time (tell yourself to wait 15 minutes to see if the desire passes), or a support barrier (tell friends to prevent you from giving in).
  
• So many times we feel we should be rewarded for our good behavior and the reward we choose is often a taste of our biggest temptation.
  If you were good all week, you feel you have earned that cookie.
  Challenge yourself to develop a different reward system that is non-food related but gives you the same amount of pleasure.
  Maybe it is buying a book or going to a movie.
  
• I had a habit of eating ice cream every night at 8:00 PM when I would sit down and finally relax for the night.
  I didn't even think if I wanted ice cream.
  It was just part of my routine.
  Having dessert after lunch and dinner is a habit for my children.
  This is a tough one to break because you feel a sense of denial.
  Breaking any habit is difficult because it requires re-wiring.
  Try to come up with a completely different routine to make you less aware of the "denial" part of the process.
  Maybe go for a walk after dinner each night and brush you teeth before you sit down and relax for the night.
  Relax in a room upstairs, away from the kitchen.
  
• Boredom is a killer.
  Boredom strikes throughout the day.
  I will find myself opening kitchen cupboards looking for a snack but knowing I am not even hungry.
  I'm just trying to fill time.
  Take time to acknowledge boredom for what it is.
  You are not hungry and not even craving a "cheat" item.
  Get out of the kitchen and distract yourself.
  Get up and walk to another room or go outside if you can.
  Write in a food journal and describe how you are feeling.
  Maybe you can identify a pattern that will be helpful in conquering boredom in the future.
  
• Lastly, there is the stress relief.
  I know when I am stressed, I want chocolate! I don't even care if it's good chocolate - just give it to me.
  I eat more than one piece when I am stressed too.
  A couple of suggestions for you are to chew gum or eat mints.
  The fresh taste may discourage your taste buds.
  Find some kind of stress reliever that is just over the top for you like kick boxing or spinning.
  If you need a mid-day relief and you can't go to the gym, listen to the music that normally plays in your class and visualize yourself doing your workout.
  Really focus and create a mental picture.
  Just "going there" mentally can relieve your stress.
  

In the next issue, we will look at the con's of cheating on your diet.
Stay tuned.
If you have suggestions of what has worked for you to keep you from cheating, leave a comment below.
We all need to hear new suggestions!