Cheat meals are often thought of as the dark and evil temptation in a dieting phase, that are sure to ruin all the progress you’ve made. But are they really? If you find yourself unable to stick to your diet, constantly falling off due to cravings and temptations ending in a cheat meal and finding yourself back at square one, then incorporating strategic cheat meals into your diet might just be the thing you’re missing.
But won’t a cheat meal ruin all my progress? Not if it’s scheduled into your diet and you know how to incorporate it! What most people fail to understand is that it all comes down to balance – not just the cliché saying but actual calorie balance. For example, if you know that you get cravings on weekends or you want to enjoy a pizza with some friends, you simply need to work out what your weekly calorie balance needs to be in order for you to drop weight. Then roughly equate how many calories your cheat meal will be and eat a little bit less either the day before, the day after or even the entire week leading up to the meal to meet your weekly calorie target – be flexible!
If you’re one prone to falling off your diet, doing this and actually incorporating cheat meals into your diet will ensure that you stay on it and continue making sustainable progress. It’ll give you something to work towards and look forward to throughout the week, making the dieting phase a lot easier and enjoyable. You won’t have to shut yourself off at social events by declining to eat out and won’t miss out on anything. Best of all, it won’t leave you with any regrets after – it’s easy when you know how!
