Cheat meals are a thing!

If you’ve ever followed a strict diet, you know how difficult it is to resist food. No matter how much you say you don’t crave, once in a while, you do! Period. And for those cravings, there are days called cheat days, which seems a downright amazing thing! But, what’s special about these days, anyway? Is it a mere diddle, a blessing or just havoc to your disciplined diet days? Well, it’s actually a different concept for every individual. Some have their cheat days twice a week, some cheat with their food once a month. But the question is – are they doing it right?

Today, let us break it down for you. Cheat days are for real and they are good for your diet, if done in the right way. Yes, you read that right! But, there’s more to the story. You need to know some things before you plan your upcoming cheat day.

1. Ch‘eat’ – don’t binge eat!

Okay, first off, you have to make sure whatever foods you are planning to indulge in, you can’t over-indulge. For example, if you want to treat yourself with a pizza, make sure it’s just a regular pizza. Don’t go for a large pizza, with extra cheese and cheese burst with your favourite sodas, etc. A big no to binge-eating and a yes to moderation is the first thing you have to adapt.

2. Plan your cheats

Once in a month, twice a month or once in a week, you can choose and plan your cheat days according to your body requirements and diet. But, it’s important to keep a check on how often are you planning to indulge. This will motivate you to keep following your diet when you know you have an upcoming cheat day soon.

3. Winning or losing?

In the end, it’s all about shedding those extra kilos isn’t it? But, if the only goal is to lose weight and itmatters to you becauseyour physical appearance is of utmost importance to you, it’s going to somewhat damage you psychologically. Nobody wants to go on a serious guilt trip after eating a chocolate. If you’re too much into your restrictive diet because ofbeing over-weight, you’re going to end up in a breakdown. So, the real win would be, to eat your heart out on a cheat day without being guilty about it.

4. Need a metabolism boost?

This might come to you as a surprise but cheat days can also be helpful in reducing weight faster. How? Leptin is the hormone that supresses our hunger pangs and indicates when the body is full. When one indulges in their favourite meals, leptin levels in the body increases, which in turn boosts metabolism. But, #TBH, science is still not 100% sure about it.

5. Healthy is not so boring too!

Apart from the cheat meals you’re planning to eat, take a moment and think how you can get creative with the healthy stuff. For example, you can add honey to your favourite beverages instead of sugar, make interesting salads for dinner or maybe add some dried nuts to your boring foods or munch on them as evening snacks. It all depends on you, how far you can take your imagination when you’re in your kitchen.

We are not too keen on letting you follow a restrictive diet without any cheat meals. But, you have to be mindful about doing it the right way.

Here are 5 cheat day recipes which are perfect for you.  Have a look:

https://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/Articles/Top-5-Recipes-for-Cheat-Day.html

And for once, we don’t mind wishing you – ‘happy cheating!’ J