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Are Eating Cheat Meals Good for Losing Weight?

  • 4 min read

Are Eating Cheat Meals Good for Losing Weight?

You’ve been exercising control over your will power for almost a week. You’ve also been making sure that whenever someone at the office goes around giving homemade brownies, you’re either at the photocopy booth or at the washroom.

It’s been tiring, being your own coach. So you congratulate yourself by giving in to a hefty serving of mashed potatoes, a slab of steak, and some wine. Then you start feeling guilty, because you know that tomorrow you’ll have to work harder to lose that heavenly plate you just devoured.


The Truth About Cheat Meals

Are Cheat Meals Good for Losing WeightThis is the cycle that most people go through when they give in to the idea of a cheat meal. But in reality, this isn’t something bad. People should look at cheat meals as a breather, much like you need to go up for air when you’re under water. In fact, it is recommended that you have at least one cheat meal per week to help you stick to your diet for the rest of the week. An easy way to lose weight actually involves determination, choosing healthy, and letting yourself indulge every now and then.

 

The Right Way to Eating Cheat Meals

Most people who follow a diet plan to lose weight feel that they are being deprived of the things they enjoy in life—sweets, eating unlimited portions of beef or any meat, pasta, and the like. You can feel this at any stage of a weight loss programme, and everyone, even the best bodybuilders, may experience this too. It can be tiring to look the other way when all you really want is to have a bite off that chocolate bar. Remember that enjoying everything in moderation is just as important as any component of your weight loss programme when you want to lose weight quickly.

Don’t be afraid to munch on something when you’re feeling the need to keep your mouth busy chewing. What matters is that you choose the healthy option, instead of letting your body walk you to the fridge to get that pint of ice cream. Sure, a teaspoon of ice cream or a bite off that chocolate bar won’t hurt. But you can also start choosing the healthier options for a healthy weight loss which not only curb your cravings, but will kick start your way to an ultimately healthy lifestyle. Try our Low-calorie Roasted Soy Beans for those afternoon cravings. Or to give you more satisfaction on your sole meal of the day, try our Protein-rich Gourmet Tomato Soup as an appetizer. You can also snack on this soup, as it only contains 104 calories per serving.


How Can Cheat Meals Help You to Lose Weight Quicker?

If you feel that you’re more likely to make moderate portions into hefty portions, then having a scheduled cheat meal per week might do the trick for you. It’s that one meal of the week when you’re going to let your guard down and eat everything that you’ve been craving for, in moderation. It sounds a tad bit scary, but this method has the following benefits:

  • METABOLIC BOOST
    The sudden increase in calorie consumption will make our bodies to produce more of a hormone called leptine (the fat loss hormone), which signals our body to increase metabolism to handle the extra food. This effect will continue after your cheat meal is digested, thus leading to the after-meal fat burning.
     
  • FUEL UP YOUR DEPLETED BODY
    Cheat meal can replenish your muscle glycogen, which you need to avoid feeling down and sluggish while trying to stay active throughout the day.

Shocking your body with a sudden increase in caloric intake in a meal per week actually quickens your body’s weight loss. In a nutshell, it’s your way of saying that “hey, I want to lose weight, but I will allow my body to enjoy every now and then, after that I will have the energy to work out and continue maintaining my new diet and lifestyle.” Psychologically, you’ll never feel the need to binge eat at very inopportune moments. Your mind, as well as your body, knows when it is allowed to take a breather.


Rules of Cheat Meals

  • CHEAT AT THE END OF YOUR DAY
    By doing so, you will have less time to cheat afterwards and it can also serve as a great reward meal after a long day.

     
  • EAT MORE CARBOHYDRATES DURING YOUR CHEAT MEAL
    Carbohydrates-rich meal will give a spike to your leptin, insulin and blood sugar levels, leading to the fat burning effect. And due to the temporary lack of enzymes, your body is unable to turn the carbs into fat.

     
  • KEEP YOUR CHEAT MEAL TO 45 MINUTES
    A cheat meal that lasts longer than 45 minutes tends to turn into a cheat day. As a result, all your diet effort will become a waste.

Cheat meals aren’t bad. They help you keep your eyes on that healthy weight loss goal. Adjust those schedules according to your body’s needs. Usually, the more fit you are, the more cheat days you will need as your body is already learning how to run on a different set of meals with healthier calorie and protein intake, among others. Make sure you use that cheat meal card only when you need it, but not as a way of getting off track.

Good luck!

 

Rooting for you,

~ The HSO Team ~
Simply Awesome.

 

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