48 • If IAm So Smart, Why Can’t I Lose Weight? response that is giving us this thought error. When you truly pay attention and taste your food, you will have a very different experience than when you eat it in a distracted state. The other time you might want to make an exception is for a special occasion. You have to be very specific when you are doing this because otherwise this could turn into a vague night of overeating and confusion. I have had many clients let one night send them back into the process of withdrawal, so take it from me, do not do this to yourself. Plan to have ONE thing as a joy eat. Don't have a joy meal. So either eat something on protocol for dinner and then have dessert, or have a meal off of protocol and skip dessert – don't have both. Your body will be flooded with dopamine and insulin, and depending on how healed your receptors are, this could send you straight into a food hangover. I rarely make exceptions in my own life. I've simply lost interest in food as a form of pleasure and entertainment.