One of the main reasons why people fail at starting to eat healthy and maintaining a healthy diet is because they don’t CHEAT! I don’t mean cheat every day, I mean having a half of a cheat day or a cheat meal to give you mind a “food rendezvous” to keep you sane and to keep your metabolism responding.
Now listen, I’m not telling you not to eat sugar. That’s insane. I myself love to have Krispy Kreme doughnuts and french fries every now and then…key words “NOW AND THEN.” I don’t indulge in these things daily or two or three times per week. If I do decide to have something like this, it’s once per week. I am currently practicing the Slow Carb diet from Tim Ferris’ book, The 4-Hour Body
At any rate, my cheat day is somewhat of “controlled chaos”. I eat a clean, lower carb diet all week, and then on Sundays (which is the day I selected as my cheat day), I let it rip. On Sundays, after I eat a clean low carb breakfast, I eat whatever I want for the rest of the day. So for instance, this past Sunday before church, I woke up and had a can of tuna (he recommends eating 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking up) around 7:00 AM then I had my low carb breakfast of turkey sausage and egg whites around 9:20 AM. Then, after church, I had French fries, 4 Krystal hamburgers, Butterfinger Buttercup, Goobers, and Doritos for the rest of the day. Yea… a whole bunch of crap.
Honestly, physically, I felt like garbage, but mentally, I was kinda satisfied because I had broken up the monotony of my week long eating habits of lean protein, legumes, and veggies. I gave myself a mental break and I allowed my body to experience a small sugar high. Also, because of this influx of sugar, my metabolism would continue to respond. In essence this cheat day, threw a curve ball at my body to make sure that my fat burning furnace was still working.
Now some diet experts and fitness professionals may feel that this is reckless eating and will create unhealthy habits…and they are entitled to their opinion. However, just dealing with people concerning diets, having them face a life without the foods they love, is demotivating and unattractive. So instead of having this type of “controlled chaotic cheat day,” they just eat crap all the time and never start a diet. I believe that mentally, everyone needs a cheat day or a cheat meal. Notice… I didn’t say a cheat weekend! Having a cheat day/meal, gives your mind a “food rendezvous”.
As far as the cheat day goes, I do follow Tim Ferris’ advice in the book to a certain extent; however, the day after my cheat day, I completely carb deplete (other than carbs from veggies). On that day which is Monday, I remove the legumes from my diet and only eat veggies, lean protein, and the occasional teaspoon of peanut butter or almond butter. For me, this helps keep me from gaining any weight after my cheat day. If you want more details about how my diet goes after a cheat day or for entire week, send me an email at Melinda@libifit.com. That is one of my little twists to the 4-hour body methodology for dieting…having the low-no carb day after cheat day. Also on my cheat day, I don’t eat until I’m sick and stuffed as Tim does in the book. To me that is a bit overboard. I do eat until I am nice and full.
Wait one second…for all of you chicks that hop on the scale every day and a one pound change devastates you, you don’t need to weigh yourself after a cheat day. Most of the time, you will temporarily gain weight…possibly 3 -5 pounds directly after your cheat day. However, 2 or 3 days after your cheat day, if you have gone back to your clean eating plan, your weight will start to decrease again. Also, if your cycle is on you may retain water so you will possibly weigh more during that time as well.
So in short, you have to cheat to win the weight loss battle. Having foods you enjoy that are not so healthy at specifically designated times, gives you a little freedom while still controlling your diet. Just from eating clean for so many years, an entire cheat day isn’t necessary for me. Eating clean is now in my DNA and it is when I feel the best. I am just doing it now to see how my body will respond. Once you start eating clean, the excitement and desire for cheat days and meals will subside.
One last note, having ONE cheat meal is more reasonable for people who have not been eating clean for at least 21 days. The reason for this is that they have not yet developed the habit of healthy eating so cheating all day may drive them back to their former unhealthy eating ways. Remember…it takes 21 days to create and break a habit.
So ladies, don’t be afraid to cheat. Go have a reasonable satisfying “food rendezvous” to help keep you sane and to keep your fat burning furnace going. After your rendezvous, get back on healthy horse and ride it girl!
If you want to hear more about how I cheat and stay lean or you want to learn more about The 4-Hour Body
Melinda
