One of the greatest tricks that I use to stick to my diet is to allow myself a cheat meal once a week. For that one glorious meal I can have whatever my heart desires. I can eat pizza, cake, and ice cream, anything I want for that one meal. I believe that anyone who plans to diet for long periods of time should follow this principle. There are several reasons why I feel cheat meals are the key to dieting success.
First of all, we are all human. No matter who you are, you are going to have cravings for foods that you are not suppose to eat. The longer and stricter the diet, the more temptations you will have. It is human nature to want something that we are not aloud to have. Dieting is no exception to this.
The cheat meal approach to dieting allows us to break down and control our temptations. If we are craving pizza on Wednesday and our cheat meal is on Sunday, we know that within four days we will be able to satisfy our craving. We tackle our temptations with the approach that we can hold off the additional four days before we eat what we have been craving four. Under the traditional diet programs, we would not be aloud to cheat at all. From my experience with dieting over the years, the temptations for foods we want do not go away. In my case they become stronger over time. Having a cheat meal once a week allows me to stick to my diet by controlling the beastly temptations before me.
Another advantage to a cheat meal is that it is an award for us. Dieting is not an easy task and we should never expect people who are changing their eating habits to all of a sudden loose the desire to eat unhealthy food again. Dieting is a goal that should be rewarded not only physically, by the way your appearance will change, or mentally, the increase in self-esteem, but also should be a reward for the taste buds as well. Each week should be like a little goal to try and make it to the next cheat meal without breaking your diet. If you succeed, you eat whatever you want without any feelings of guilt whatsoever. You earned the right to that sixteen-ounce bowl of ice cream and you should not be ashamed to eat it either.
There is another benefit to the cheat meal approach in dieting. After time, you body will adjust to the current caloric intake that you are on. If you eat the same thing everyday, or the same amount of fats, proteins, etc., your bodies metabolism will eventually slow down to adjust to the current caloric intake levels. Cheat meals along with some other changes I make to my diet in the week allow me to shock my system. I keep my body guessing throughout the dieting process. I constantly adjust my carbohydrate, protein, and fat levels to keep my metabolism from slowing down. The cheat meal, if done once a week, is another way to effectively shock your body into maintaining a high metabolism.
In conclusion, if a cheat meal is to work effectively it has to be done once a week not once a day. The main objective of the cheat meal is to allow an individual a process or tool to use to defeat temptations that may arise during a diet. The second advantage to a cheat meal is that it is a weekly reward for all the hard work you put into your diet. The final advantage is the cheat meal is another way to shock your body. You keep your body guessing as to what your daily caloric intake is, therefore allowing yourself to maintain a higher metabolism.
Gerald Gore is the owner of the online fitness review site One4Fitness. For more health and fitness related tips and reviews on workout equipment visit Gerald's site at http://www.one4fitness.com. One4Fitness also offers a FREE Health and Fitness newsletter at http://www.one4fitness.com.
express cleaning service Arlington Heights ..There have been endless numbers of fad diets over the... Read More
There are lots of dieters, trying every sort of plan... Read More
The diary is an essential help in reaching your weight... Read More
Weight Loss Red Flag GuideDespite claims to the contrary, there... Read More
Let's face when it comes to overweight and obesity there... Read More
The confusion about eating healthy and dieting will now be... Read More
The 3 day diet mixes certain types of foods that... Read More
Lets face it, most of us live pretty busy lives... Read More
Research from Harvard, recently published in the highly respected peer-reviewed... Read More
Diet Pills are the fastest growing segment of the dietary... Read More
I would like to introduce you to an incredible new... Read More
A healthy pregnancy almost always involves weight gain. But now... Read More
Once upon a time, I fretted about going to a... Read More
Looking for Diet Programs on net is like looking for... Read More
I have put off writing a motivation article because of... Read More
Franchised Business Models and American Diets could be at odds.... Read More
I'm sure you already know that weight loss and improved... Read More
Maybe your doctor suggested it. Maybe your favorite outfit doesn't... Read More
It's the American Dream: "If I could just lose a... Read More
Offer a woman the choice between a dress she likes... Read More
Are you frustrated with your weight problem and don't know... Read More
If winter hibernation tends to pack on the pounds, take... Read More
Throughout my childhood and teenage years I watched as my... Read More
There is no doubt about it; Americans are eating in... Read More
1. What is Atkins Diet? Dr. Atkins diet, first introduced... Read More
tidy up service Arlington Heights ..Do you tend to find your weight increases when you... Read More
A common claim from gastric bypass detractors is that after... Read More
Liposuction works best with people who are a normal weight... Read More
With obesity and disease increasing dramatically, many fitness experts are... Read More
If you have been trying to lose weight permanently, then... Read More
Are you ready to lose some weight? Perhaps you're surfing... Read More
As we look around at the current generation of children,... Read More
Diet is one of the most controversial subjects around. Bring... Read More
Are you one of the many people who feel frustrated... Read More
Do you compete in sports for weight loss or fat... Read More
You need to reset your weight-o-stat. No matter how much... Read More
Is a weight loss workout routine right for you? Answer... Read More
Maybe your doctor suggested it. Maybe your favorite outfit doesn't... Read More
Diners have become more health-conscious the last few years, and... Read More
Activity means both mental and physical activity.Mental activity is similar... Read More
When we gain more weight than is good for us,... Read More
The safe way to lose weight begins with a thorough... Read More
ObesityToday, 64.5 percent of adult Americans (about 127 million) are... Read More
I have tried many "diets" here in the USA and... Read More
We all encounter those hosts and hostesses who feel it... Read More
America's Obesity EpidemicAs the numbers of overweight Americans continue to... Read More
One of the hardest aspects of getting yourself into shape,... Read More
I learned about gaining weight when I heard the question... Read More
When it all comes down to losing or gaining weight,... Read More
If you've been pursuing a lighter, healthier version of yourself,... Read More
Weight Loss |