Highlights
- Cheat meals don't necessarily have to be treated with disdain
- If done the right way, cheat meals will not affect your weight loss diet
- It's advisable to eat a nutritionally-rich meal before your cheat meal
One of the most confusing questions about dieting and weight loss is that whether cheat meals and cheat days are alright or harmful for the diet. There are various conflicting studies and research reports on the subject and the opinions of health experts are also divided. Mostly people who have a good metabolic rate find it is okay for them to indulge in cheat meals every once in a while. But the jury is still out on whether regular cheat meals are beneficial or detrimental for weight loss. The debate has been re-ignited after a popular nutritionist made a case for cheat meals in her blog, saying that a regular cheat meal may help the body burn fat more effectively.
Another study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology also concluded that it was okay for dieters to cheat on their diets. The study said that people who have cheat meals once a week lost as much weight by the end of the week, as those who didn't cheat. However, cheating on your diet doesn't mean going ballistic on all the junk food that you can lay your hands on. There is a method to all the madness and if you do your cheat meals in the right way, you may not disrupt your diet in any way. In fact, they may actually help you by keeping you positive throughout the dieting period.
Here are some tips to plan your cheat meals the right way, while you are dieting:
1. Plan your cheat meals in advance: It's very important to have a cheat meal strategy when you are dieting. It's always a good idea to let your cheat day coincide with a special occasion or an outing with friends. A lot of people cheat on their diets during the weekends, which is a good idea, as that is when we tend to go out more often.
2. Practice moderation during cheat meal: Cheating on your diet during the weekend, doesn't mean going bananas and mindlessly bingeing on all the junk you can get. Moderation is the key, even during cheat meals. This is because, one weekend of guilty indulgences may completely destroy all your hard work.
3. Eat a nutrient-rich meal before your cheat meal: Showing up for your cheat meal, famished and starving, can wreak havoc for your diet. Instead, it is advisable to have a good meal, a couple of hours before your cheat meal. This pre-cheat meal must be rich in nutrients like proteins, good quality crabs and fibre, so that you lose your resolve during the cheat meal and eat only small portions.
4. Sweat it out before your cheat meal: A great way to prevent your cheat meal from showing up on your tummy or thighs is to have a good workout, before having your cheat meal. This is when you will burn up all your body's glycogen stores, making way for all those carbs and sugars from your cheat meal to be stored up as well. In short, deplete your body's glycogen so that you can replace it with the store from the cheat meal.
5. Be mindful of the nutritional value of your cheat meal: Even while cheating, you have got to be mindful of what exactly goes on your plate and eventually in your tummy. A meal full of only taste and no nutritional value is the worst kind of cheat meal. Order a cheat meal which has some amounts of high-quality protein and dietary fibres, to balance out the effects of the high-calorie meal.
When you decide to cheat, make sure you take your time and enjoy the meal, as you have earned it. Cheat meals, if done right, can help you stay on track your weight loss diet and that should be the purpose of your cheat meal in the first place.