HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO!! By Anthony Noud
Over the past 12 months I have steadily been seeing more and more clients for nutrition advice, meal plans and similar, many with great success. I often note that when starting a plan everybody is very gung ho, and motivated to stick to the plan. Sadly, in some cases this initial burst of motivation comes to a grinding halt- people fall off the wagon and return to their old, unhealthy eating habits.
Today I will discuss the use of “cheat meals” in regards to dieting for weight loss, muscle gain and staying lean and strong. As well as staying sane while doing so!
So what is a cheat meal? A cheat meal is a planned meal (for me, its once a week) where you can loosen the reigns in terms of dietary restrictions, indulge a bit and perhaps eat the foods that if consumed daily, would probably leave you gaining fat and feeling/being unhealthy. Think a creamy carbonara, a 3-course restaurant meal, sweets, cakes and chocolates or similar.
These people that come to me full of enthusiasm often baulk at the idea of having a planned cheat meal. “Oh no! I don’t need one of them”, “I just wanna get this weight off as quickly as possible so I don’t think I will need it”. 9 times out of 10, these are the same people that will see great initial results (first 2-4 weeks) but then end up at there same starting point (or heavier) within a couple of months.
In my opinion cheat meals provide a much-needed psychological release from strict dieting and exercise. After some time following a fairly clean and strict diet I find my body craving certain foods, from ice cream to hot chips, and everything in between. I am a firm believer in having a “work/life balance” and similarly I also encourage my clients to have a “diet/life balance”.
Dieting and losing weight takes its toll on most people mentally and emotionally long before it does physically. When people can see no end in sight while dieting they often lose hope and give up. This is why cheat meals are so important- it acts as a mental pressure release valve, particularly when in the early stages of a weight loss/lifestyle change program.
Dieting without a planned or available cheat meal is also unrealistic for most people. We all lead busy lives, we all socialize and we all want to live a little- The inclusion of a pre planned cheat meal allows for situations like parties, birthdays, work functions etc without the guilty feelings normally associated with “breaking my diet”. I often have successful clients comment on how looking forward to their Saturday night cheat meal helps them stay strict during the week and during times of temptation.
So lets get this straight, a cheat meal DOES NOT mean that once a week you can order a 24 piece bucket from KFC, wash it down with a couple of Thickshakes and then turn all David Copperfield and make a cadbury family block disappear all the while kidding yourself into thinking “that was my cheat meal”. NO NO NO!! In order to get the psychological reprieve associated with a cheat meal while living a life free from concentration camp style dietary restrictions and still continue to lose weight or stay lean there are a few basic rules to this cheating business….
- · GOLDEN RULE – You DO NOT qualify for a cheat meal unless you have been eating according to your diet all week and performing all of your planned exercise. Simple as that- don’t kid yourselves here guys!
- · A cheat meal is exactly that- ONE meal, this does not start with Friday afternoon nibblys and drinks, into dinner, dessert, more drinks then kebabs or McRubbish on the way home in the early hours. When your bum leaves the seat you are done!
- · In my opinion a cheat meal constitutes a main meal with dessert, plus a maximum of 3 alcoholic drinks- many others will disagree or have fancy caloric requirements, deprivation of snacks, measuring the size of your plate etc etc…but in my opinion the whole idea is to loosen the reigns and “cheat” so just go ahead and enjoy yourself!
- · You return to your planned diet/meal plan/ healthy eating from the very next meal!- many people choose to have their cheat meals as their last meal of the day, avoiding the feelings of “well today is a write off so I might as well indulge a little more”
- · If you have been dieting strictly and have a sugar laden cheat meal you may find yourself craving sugar in coming days- be mindful of this. I find chewing gum helps aswell as herbal teas.
- · The leaner you are the more carbs and more often you can cheat- (this is related to leptin and reefed theory for info read my previous post here http://exquisitephysiques.blogspot.com/2011/09/busting-through-low-carb-fat-loss.html) think of this as a payoff for all of your hard work. If you are obese you may want to opt for a cheat meal every fortnight instead of every week.
- · If you don’t “need” a cheat meal- don’t take it, but always allow yourself the option, so as not to feel trapped or restricted by your diet
As you progress from “dieting” into long term healthy eating habits and maintenance you will get to know your body and may naturally relax your cheat meals- instead of having to plan your cheat meal each week, you will be able to eat what your body wants, when it wants it (within reason) while maintaining your goal physique. Notice I said what your “body wants” and not your mind! In my opinion, this is pretty much the ultimate goal.
As a side note to this I have noticed a very strong correlation between those that are eating at or above their bodies requirements for macronutrients (carbs, fats, proteins) all seem to crave cheat meals less often, in turn cheating and making poor food choices less frequently and when they do, make much cleaner cheat meal options. If you are unsure as to whether or not you are eating the right amount of macronutrients for your desired bodyweight or physique goal, email me here anthony@purehealthclubs.com.au and together we can put together a meal plan that will get you to your absolute best while leaving room for you to still live and enjoy life!
