One meal doesn’t have to ruin your progress.
But one indulgent meal that turns into a cheat day, then a cheat weekend, and eventually a cheat week? That’s where people lose momentum. The goal isn’t to avoid treats. It’s to stop them from snowballing.
Here are five simple rules that make all the difference:
- Eat it on a day you’ve exercised: Training increases your bodies demand for energy and nutrients so eating on the same day ensures that the foods your consume are put to good ends.
- Make it the last meal of the day: Having your cheat meal for dinner creates a hard stop so that you can go to bed feeling satisfied and wake up the next day ready to get back on track.
- Choose two courses maximum: Choose either a main and a dessert or a start and a main. More courses just mean more calories rather than more enjoyment.
- Eat in a restaurant: Restaurants create natural boundaries. The meal starts, the meal ends, and then you leave making it less likely that you’ll over-indulge on left overs or snacks.
- Skip the alcohol: Alcohol lowers inhibitions and increases appetite, making it far easier to overeat and far harder to make good decisions the next day.
Cheat meals aren’t a problem, losing control afterwards is.
Put these five rules in place, enjoy your favourite foods guilt-free, and you’ll stay on track without feeling like you’re constantly missing out.
You’ll never go off track again.