How To Manage Your Cheat Days

By All American Fitness

Image source: Pexels.com

With Christmas nearly here, it’s time to start thinking about and planning your cheat days, so they’re as successful as possible. If you’re not familiar with the concept, it goes like this. To add to your success dieting, you build in a day or two per week to indulge in food and beverages that you normally wouldn’t consume. By allowing yourself “cheats,” you eliminate the desire to binge on items because you feel like you’re depriving yourself of flavor and fun.

WHEN TO HAVE A CHEAT DAY

Planning your cheat days takes skill. It’s based on the schedule you keep and the types of activities you enjoy engaging in. For example, if you’re typically invited out for drinks with friends on Friday nights, you can make Friday your cheat day and provide yourself the opportunity to socialize and indulge at the same time.

Having fixed cheat days gives you something concrete to look forward to. It doesn’t, however, allow for spur-of-the-moment invites or special occasions. If you choose to celebrate holidays or company events, you’ll need to account for them on your calendar.

Doing so prepares you for the remainder of the week’s meals so that you’re able to stay on top of your health and fitness goals. The key to successful dieting is planning, so it’s important that you make it part of your everyday routine no matter how busy you think you are.

MAKING YOUR CHEAT DAY SUCCESSFUL

In order to make your cheat day successful, there are some things you’ll want to do. Advanced planning helps you avoid any snafus that come up and ruin your experience. A cheat day, like a holiday, should be stress-free and fun.

By doing the following things, you ensure your cheat day success:

EAT BECAUSE YOU’RE HUNGRY NOT BECAUSE YOU CAN. 

It can be very easy to fall into the trap of eating everything in sight because it’s a cheat day. That isn’t wise at all as it will leave you broke and feeling ill. Instead, decide what it is that you’ll eat for the day and don’t deviate from your plans. If you’re following a specific diet such as the Leptin diet, try to include friendly Leptin foodsinto your cheat day menu for consistency.

CHOOSE FOODS THAT FILL YOU UP AND HAVE SOME NUTRITIONAL VALUE. 

If you’re snacking for the sake of having something to do, don’t. When you eat foods on your cheat days, you’ll want to enjoy them truly. Look for items that are richer in flavor than you ordinarily eat. Add the dressing, heavy cream or thick sauces. It’s fine to indulge, but it’s always best to choose the healthiest options you can so your body isn’t deprived of vitamins and nutrients. Eat This Not That provides sound advice on how to get more bang for your caloric intake.

PICK AND CHOOSE WISELY TO AVOID STOMACH UPSET AND WEIGHT LOSS SETBACKS. 

Don’t eat foods or engage in activities that you know could have serious consequences on your health. If you have any known food allergies or sensitivities, avoid the items that cause them at all costs. Remember that you have to deal with the aftermath of a cheat day on a day where you’re eating healthy. Don’t make yourself sick for days because you weren’t mindful of what you consumed.

MAKE IT AN OCCASION. 

Go all out to make the day memorable and pleasurable. If you’re not dining out, why not watch a movie you’ve meant to see while you eat your slices of pizza and drink your bottles of beer? People magazine recommends that if you are able to get out on your cheat day, go somewhere new with your friend and try food that you weren’t brave enough to try before. Giving your mind a memory to connect with a cheat day helps you see how important the occasion is so you don’t feel like you’re missing out on all the fun the rest of the week.

You can easily make the most of your cheat days by thinking ahead like author Tim Ferriss. The key to dieting successfully is remaining diligent in your approach. It’s ok if you don’t get it perfect the first time around because you can reevaluate how you’re dieting and make changes on an as-needed basis.

DO YOU ALWAYS NEED TO HAVE A CHEAT DAY?

Is a cheat day always necessary? The answer is “No.” You may find that you don’t need one at all like actor Chris Pratt does when shaping up for a film.

Having the option to indulge keeps you from doing it regularly. It gives you the discipline needed to meet your goals head on successfully. When you know that you can “cheat,” you adapt your lifestyle and schedule accordingly.

Dieting doesn’t have to be a chore or boring. It can be an important step to better health. If you want to improve your life and meet your wellness and fitness goals faster, make sure to allow for a few cheat days a month to help you transition successfully.