One thing about making progress towards any discipline, habit, or goal is that you don’t have to do it 100% of the time. If you’re studying for a degree, you still get time off in the evenings or recreational breaks outside of your college course. If you’re raising little ones, they still have to go to sleep and nap during the day, even if their free time is extremely constrained. Perhaps you take care of a garden, you can only do so much, sometimes you just have to let it grow, sit back, and enjoy it.
HOW TO STRUCTURE THE PERFECT CHEAT DAY
The same can be said for dieting, too. Sure, if you hope to lose weight, every day you have to eat less calories than you consume, including your daily “maintenance requirement” which your body burns just for being alive. But it’s also true that a cheat day here and there, be that to celebrate a special occasion, to round off a hard week of work, or just because it’s more convenient given the constraints of your day, is totally fine. If the broader trend is positive, it’s more than worth focusing on the little elements of change.
In this post, then, we think it could be helpful to discuss the perfect “cheat day” that might work best for you, even if you’re dieting.
Have One Special Treat On Your Cheat Day
Of course, the operative word here is “special.” It’s easy to let a cheat day spiral into an all-day buffet, but if you pick one thing you’ve really been looking forward to and enjoy it without guilt, well, it has almost no impact but you still get to indulge. That might be a slice or five of your favorite pizza, a good dessert, or a specific drink you’ve been avoiding. The goal is to enjoy the moment, rather than using it as an excuse to undo everything. This helps you stay mindful while still enjoying yourself. It’s also much easier to return to your regular habits the next day if the indulgence was purposeful and didn’t feel like you were losing control. That small bit of structure can actually make the break feel more satisfying.
Use The Cheat To Learn & Cook Something New
Cheat days don’t always have to mean takeout or running up a large group bill in a restaurant, even though that’s great fun. In fact, if you’ve got a bit of time and energy, they can be a great excuse to try your hand at something indulgent in the kitchen. If you’ve learned something new you’ve added to your life and it can feel enriching compared to indulging. You can choose anything, something comforting and calorie-dense, sure, but also the pleasure of learning and doing from cooking a new dessert recipe, or testing out a rich pasta dish, or learning to grill meats with honey glazes. Cooking it yourself also gives you control over the ingredients and portions, which can make it feel more balanced even if it’s still a treat. You’ll have earned it too, just in a different way.
Bring A Friend Along & Make Good Memories
We all know alcohol is bad for us, for instance, but feeling bad about a night on the town is reduced when we had such a fine time. This applies here because food is always more enjoyable when it’s shared, and cheat days can be a great excuse to make a little social time out of it. You might head to a local pop-up store or order together while relaxing at home. If you share in the indulgence, you’ve made a fun memory at least!
With this advice, you’ll be certain to structure the perfect cheat day, even if you’re dieting.
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