How to Cheat Without Wrecking Your Diet

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Should you have the brownie... or the cake? 10 food swaps that satisfy cravings without calories.

By Catherine Guthrie

Diet-Friendly Foods

The secret to shedding pounds isn't saying no to guilty pleasures, it's learning how to say yes without causing diet damage.

"Cheating should be planned and deliberate," says Ann Kulze, MD, author of Dr. Ann's 10-Step Diet: A Simple Plan for Permanent Weight Loss and Lifelong Vitality (Top Ten Wellness and Fitness, 2004). "Avoiding favorite foods can lead to bingeing, followed by regret and abandonment of all your efforts." Allowing yourself the occasional splurge helps you truly enjoy the treat -- and that makes it easier to take a pass on little extras the rest of the time.

Fortunately, you can indulge and still keep calories in check by substituting an equally gratifying and decadent yet more diet-friendly alternative for the food you're craving. (Would you believe cheesecake is an option?) Try these 10 trade-offs and we promise you won't feel the least bit deprived.

Next: Chocolate Choices

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dbattle2929 wrote:

I always thought by eating unhealthy treats while on a diet was a horrible thing to do and I found myself feeling guilty for doing it. But as mentioned, by depriving myself I craved the unhealthy treats even more and I eventually diverted from the healthy path. I currently have been awaken by a new found motivation and readiness of my body, mind, and spirit. I'm going to incorporate this in to my goal.

5/9/2013 08:20:14 PM Report Abuse

Dawn005 wrote:

The whole point of the story is that if you constantly deprive yourself, eventually you will give up on healthy eating, whereas occasionally allowing yourself a treat could lead to being able to stick to those healthier choices longer-term. I am finding that it really works. I have lost over 70 lbs so far and still losing, and it's by allowing myself an occasional controlled treat that I still feel motivated. So any of these choices can be good choices in the long run.

4/9/2012 10:46:11 AM Report Abuse

jeanniewhite11 wrote:

Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news but none of these are "good" choices. Of course, depriving yourself all the time will not help you stick to a healthy lifestyle change. I tell my clients that if you want a piece of cake eat a small slice just don't eat the whole cake. If you want dessert out with friends, get one dessert and share it with yours friends.

1/8/2012 07:49:08 AM Report Abuse

anonymous wrote:

I feel any diet that limits you from cravings leads to binge eating. So allow myself great tasting snacks like YoCrunch candy yogurts. They have Oreos, Crunch Bar, m&ms, etc so any of those always help. www.yocrunch.com

10/14/2011 05:06:59 PM Report Abuse

christine1179 wrote:

Um, sorry to nitpick, but these foods are not "without" calories as you state in the lead-in to the story.

9/19/2011 05:18:54 PM Report Abuse