Everyday Systems

I've heard a number of people mention other diets, here, that have things called "cheat days" or similar. And it's got me to thinking: I would like NoS a whole lot less if the name "special days" ("S days") were replaced by "cheat days", even if everything else remained the same.

I think calling them cheat days is a psychological mistake: S days are *not* "cheating"! You are following a plan, and part of that plan is to legitimately reward yourself with occasional treats. Labelling this as cheating sets up a nasty tendency to think that you're staggering from cheat-opportunity to cheat-opportunity as you make it from one S-day to the next. It also creates the sense that you're doing something wrong.

So I guess what I'm saying, Reinhard, is: good choice of nomenclature! (Of course, I realize that it's chosen to maintain the "S" theme in the statement of the plan, but still ... in the book, as I recall, you were pretty careful not to use the "cheat" label.)

I agree. If nothing else, "cheat" has a negative connotation. When do you cheat and it's a good thing? It's always implies you're going to get caught doing something bad.