Monday, June 29, 2009

I can't wait for my cheat day!!

This is something I hear often as a personal trainer. "I've eaten great all week, and I'm going to blow all my progress in a day or two" is another way of saying the title of this blog.

Then, come Monday there is the inevitable guilt trip, not to mention the stomach discomfort experienced during a day of two of eating anything and everything.

Why do that much damage on a weekend? You've worked to hard! Day's of work lost in a matter of 48 hours. It boggles the mind! I'm not saying not to eat foods that you like, but I think I can offer a better approach.

This is something I did when I competed in bodybuilding that worked well for me. Maybe it will work well for you. Rather than have a cheat day or weekend, why not allow for 1-3 cheat meals per week?

The benefits I found for myself were as follows:

  • By planning a few cheat meals per week I never felt deprived.
  • Having those cheat meals as part of an overall plan made it so i didn't feel guilty......it was part of my plan.
  • If it was a Tuesday, and i was craving something, but knew I was going out for a nice dinner with my family on Thursday it made it easier to not let the craving get the best of me.
  • Rewarded......yes, rewarded. By making it from Tuesday to Thursday without succumbing to my cravings (the example above) made me feel proud of myself. What better reward than that!

Now I'm not saying go crazy with these cheat meals and completely over indulge....but to eat what you like in a portion controlled manner.

If your training/dieting for a particular event....say a wedding, simply cut down on the cheat meals from 3 down to 1 or none over the last couple of weeks.

I hope this is a help to you. It certainly was for me.

Best Wishes,

Scott Fleurant ACE-CPT

getfit14@live.com

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