Cheat Food Everyday or on the Weekends?
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When it comes to losing weight and staying in shape, the success one has is based on many factors. Diet is one of the most important ones. If you don’t clean up your diet, you probably won’t meet your goals. No one is perfect and no matter how well we choose to eat, there comes a time to cheat. Now cheating isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it keeps many people sane when they are doing their best to eat healthy.
Cheating Daily Versus on the Weekends
There are currently two ways to add cheating to your diet. You can cheat a little every day or you can be good all week and cheat one day on the weekend. Below are my pros and cons of cheating daily.
Pros of cheating daily
- You satisfy your cheat craving every day
- You look forward to a “reward” every day
- Feels less like you’re dieting if you can satisfy a craving
Cons of cheating daily
- It is so easy to overeat a cheat food
- More likely to cheat throughout the day
- More temptation every day
- Harder to have self-control
I personally don’t like the idea of cheating every day because I am one to go overboard. It is way too easy for me to justify eating “one more” of a cheat food. I much rather do well all week and save one day on the weekend to not worry about portions. I feel the reward is much bigger and more satisfying when you have one day to look forward to eating your favorite foods.
Many times after my cheat day, I am actually more pumped up to work out. I feel ready to burn off all of the junk I ate. The good thing is that it all gets easier with time. Cheating daily may work out better for some people. The key is keeping your cheat food portion under control and at least try to substitute healthier items to satisfy a craving.
Two books that I know of that promote a cheat day are:
- The Cheat to Lose Diet: Cheat BIG with the Foods You Love, Lose Fat Faster Than Ever Before, and Enjoy Keeping It Off!
- Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength
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Comments
Dieting for me is choosing a healthier lifestyle, watching what I eat, exercising more and having an end goal in sight. I believe that rewarding myself with “cheat” foods during the week or on the weekend, defeats the whole perhaps of eating healthy. I stay sane during week by focusing on my end goal which is a healthier, stronger, leaner body.
I am a fan of the daily cheat. It’s something that’s just worked for me. But your right, keeping the portions under control is the key.
I’ve found that the more I worked out the less likely I was to cheat on my diet anyway. So by not limiting myself to only 1 day to cheat, I ended up not cheating as much. If that makes sense