The key to any 'cheat' to your diet is to not let it derail you. I could have easily said, "Oh, it's Friday. I might as well eat everything that I want this weekend and start fresh on Monday." Instead of just one evening of bad eating, I would have added an additional two full days. Doing this would get me out of the habit of eating healthy. On Monday, it would almost be as if I was starting all over again.
How often should you have a cheat day? Cheat days where you throw healthy eating out the window for the entire day, should be limited to special occasions. My cheat day for the month was St. Patrick's Day. If you read the about me section, you saw that I love beer. So, on this day I let myself drink beer throughout the day and I even had some cheese fries! However, the next day I had a nice healthy breakfast and worked out. I got right back on my healthy eating schedule.
While cheat days should be limited, I believe that cheat meal or two during the week is okay. Just try to keep it to that one meal or snack.
Cheat Tips:
Do you really want one of the donuts that a coworker brought in? Have it (or just a small piece of it), but eat healthy the rest of the day.
Do you want to go out to happy hour after work? Have a drink or two, but also get a glass of water. Don't get a new drink until you have also finished your water. Also, eat a healthy snack before you leave. If you aren't hungry, you will be less likely to get one of the appetizers that are half price!
Most importantly, do not beat yourself up over a cheat meal/day. Move on and eat healthy the next meal/day. We are all human and need a treat every once and a while. Just don't let the treats become every meal and you will be fine!
Time for my workout after my cheat meal last night. I believe it is Dirty 30 day on the 21 Day Fix :)
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