Hello friends. I have not forgotten about you. Tonight’s post is about a cheat meal. Yes I said it, a cheat meal.  If you are indeed making lifestyle changes and cutting out all of not so good food, you are probably missing some of your favorite treats. Maybe you have found substitutes, but most likely you are missing a favorite treat. I take one meal a week or every two weeks to have something I like, something that is a splurge.

I really love Trader Joes Peanut Butter and Jelly candy bars. Yep, they are amazing. I can’t eat them every day, nor should I. I have introduced one cheat meal a week or every other week.

Here’s what a cheat meal can do…

1. Keep you from feeling deprived. Diets normally don’t work long term because people feel like the restrictions are too much. No sugar, no salt, no carbs, no fat….whatever the diet may be, it restricts something.

2. Keep you from binge eating. Along with the restrictions when people finally reach their goal weight they tend to binge eat! All the cake, ice cream, fried food they have eliminated come back in full force. If you know once a week or every two weeks you can have a treat, you are less likely to binge eat the rest of the week. Moderation is better than starvation.

3. Shock your metabolism. Our bodies are smart. They they to figure out the best way to not lose weight. We are not wired to be stick thin, but to have some weight just in case a famine comes. So, when you eat the same things all the time, your body adjusts and does not burn as much as it used to. You can also shock your system by varying calories throughout the day. If you always eat a big breakfast and lean lunch, switch them up.

What a cheat meal is not….

1. A license to binge eat! The goal is moderation not gluttony! If you know that buying ice cream will lead you to eat it all, try buying single servings. Skinny Cow has single serving cups. They are 150 calories a piece. If you know you’ll eat an entire pizza, order an individual serving size pizza. If you know you’ll want to eat the entire Chinese Buffet….order a single serving.

Lastly, the goal of the cheat meal is to make sure the changes you are making can be sustained for life. I don’t know many people who can give up desserts for life (unless they have to), or avoid all high calorie food. We get invited out, invited to others homes for dinner, invited to birthday parties, events, and places where there are limited choices. So, here’s a way to keep from feeling completely deprived!

Keep up the good work! You can do this….