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I teach fitness. I sell nutrition supplements. So, I’m surrounded by people giving their opinion on nutrition all day.

All day.

Where I work. On Facebook and other social media. In my email inbox. It’s starting to get really annoying. And you know why? Because every one is in it for themselves. Oh, not to get the best results. But to look/feel/seem BETTER THAN YOU!

Let’s start with “diet.” I hate the word “diet.”

Diet implies you will do this now. For a certain goal, for a certain time. And then, you will stop. Well, guess what? If your changes aren’t something you can maintain, long-term, they are not going to have long-term impacts on your health.

Don’t diet. Eat nutritiously. Eat smartly. But, for goodness’ sake, EAT!

And then, if you aren’t dieting, you won’t have to worry about “cheating on your diet.” Like it’s a lover that will be forever scorned and scarred. Trust me. I’ve been cheated on. Eating a cupcake is not like that.

Or maybe it’s more like cheating on an exam. Well, when you cheat on an exam, that’s an automatic fail. Again, nothing like that.

You haven’t failed eating, or even eating healthily, just because you chose to have dessert.

Let’s stop this nonsense with “cheating.” Enjoying your food is part of eating healthily. Eat the damn cupcake. Use real sugar (oh, for the love of God, use real sugar instead of the chemical stuff!)

Go out to eat. Make choices that WORK for YOU.

Stop being so judgmental about what you eat. And stop being so judgmental about what others eat. You are not their mother. You are not their keeper. You are not their judge, doctor, or God.

“Cheating” is not a real thing. You are making choices.

“Cheating” is a way for other people to feel better than you about your choices. And I call BS on that.

Every body is different. Every body reacts differently to different foods and combinations of foods. There are some givens (real food is better than fake, you need protein/carbs/fats in combination to operate, water is good for you, etc). But, a lot of nutrition recommendations (especially when they come from someone who is not a board certified nutritionist or dietician) are complete and utter BS.

Those recommendations are what worked for that person. Period.

One of the things I love about fitness is how PERSONAL it is. Look how many different types of workouts there are! Not everyone likes running. She can still Zumba. Not everyone likes CrossFit. She can come to CABARRET. Not everyone likes the same instructors.

That’s why there are so many of those.

If we offer people huge selection, range, and variety when they are working out, why can’t we do the same in nutrition? Why can’t it be just as personal as the workout side of fitness? And why are we each so certain we’re RIGHT?

I don’t know if there are answers to this. But I’ve got to ask the questions.

So, please. The next time you are tempted to “cheat,” just give yourself permission to make a choice.

And, the next time to you are tempted to say “it’s OK to have a cheat” to someone else, please check your motivations.

And, if you say it to me, I’ll probably kick you in the shins. Fair warning.

May 2014 Issue