MR. BMJ said:If there is one thing I have learned about dieting, if it gets to the point to where the dieter makes it too strict and clean with no breaks, they (not the diet) will ultimately fail. BMJ
This is SO true! I don't consider my diet a diet but rather part of my lifestyle. It's far cleaner and healthier from what I used to eat, but I don't deny myself things I really love. I just eat them sparingly and in small portions. I've made slow steady progress with hardly any backsliding, because I don't feel like I'm on a diet. Sometimes the unexpected cheat opportunity comes up and I just improvise elsewhere.
Fortunately there are not that many "bad" foods I really love, but I think life wouldn't be worth living without choc chip cookies or pizza. I'm sure it's different for the competitors who go through bulking/cutting cycles and are on a deadline, but I don't compete, I'm just in it for the long term healthy lifestyle and killer bod.