When is cheating ever a good thing?

When is cheating ever a good thing?

Cheat meals

Now I am not one to really believe in diets, and I know on the short video I posted it stated that I had a cheat meal, which implies that I am on some kind of regimented diet program. But it was more like I was being gluttonous and eating everything in sight rather than me actually having a cheat meal.

But I know a lot of people are on restricted diets, so looking forward to a cheat meal or cheat day is what helps push you through the struggle of dieting. But the problem with diets are that they are for a set period of time, you cant live your whole life on one. Therefore when you come off the diet and are left with no guidance or structure, the cheat meal will become a cheat day, and eventually a cheat week, and before you know it you are eating like you always used to eat- when every day is cheat day.

Dieting can take a lot out of you, having to restrict yourself to smaller portions than you are accustomed to, and depriving yourself from the things you enjoy. So I can understand how a cheat meal can become a source of joy, but in reality this is creating an unhealthy relationship with food. You will associate all the foods that are bad for you as a treat, and eating properly will feel like a punishment or a chore.

The best way to maintain a proper eating regime to reach and keep your long term weight loss goal is to turn your eating habits into a lifestyle change, as apposed to something you do every quarter because you put on a few pounds.

Creating a healthy relationship with food will help you learn to enjoy the foods that are good for you, it will ensure that the majority of your meals are balanced, the correct portion size, maintain a healthy caloric intake, includes a healthy amount of fruits and veg and doesn’t restrict any food group.

Diets often severely restrict the amount of food and calories you eat which can leave you feeling hungry and unfulfilled, they also generally restrict the amount of carbs you consume, and the portion sizes are usually a lot smaller than the recommended guidelines. This is why when the diets are over and you go back to eating like you usually do the weight begins to creep back on.

Adapting your eating habits so that they are a lifestyle change instead of a short term quick fix may take longer to see the results you desire initially, but is a successful method when dealing with long term weight loss.

Creating this healthy relationship with food will allow for long term success and will get rid of the notion of needing a cheat meal or day, as you will eventually learn to consider those ‘cheat’ foods as bad for you instead of as a treat.

You will realise that it is ok to eat a chocolate bar every-once in a while, as long as you don’t over-do it, having everything in moderation is one of the key elements to maintaining weight loss success. And if you combine your new dietary lifestyle change with a structured exercise program; nothing will be able to stop you from reaching your weight loss goal.

So become the face of fitness you’ve always wanted, and don’t cheat.