The Miracle of a Cheat Meal
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/modules/evennews/index.php?action=subscribe
MORE RESOURCES:
A HinJew Target in MumbaiWashington Post, United States - Dec 1, 2008Hindu-derived Siddha Yoga was my path. I came by it in 1980 as a journalist sent by a Los Angeles newspaper to cover California's latest guru sensation, ... |
IndiaGlitz |
Ileana D'Cruz becomes the Yoga girlIndiaGlitz, CA - 8 hours agoIleana has now started preaching Yoga whenever she finds an opportunity. The story behind a naïve girl becoming the yoga girl is that she had started ... |
Defining yoga, one style at a timeCommon Ground, CA - Dec 1, 2008That’s the philosophy that inspired Jivamukti Yoga founders Sharon Gannon and David Life, who developed the style in their Manhattan studio in 1984. ... |
Yoga event to raise money for animal shelterMinot Daily News, ND - 15 hours agoBy JILL SCHRAMM, Staff Writer, jschramm@minotdailynews.com Two Minot yoga instructors have teamed up with the Souris Valley Animal Shelter to share the ... |
Yoga - Google News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Is Zone Diet a Fad?
Is Zone Diet a Fad?How do you recognize a fad diet? When I asked myself this question, some generous people hurried to offer me free, quick, easily digestible answers. I chose the top ten from the list, and decided to match them with the Zone diet's most common features.
Exercise Bike Program - How to Lose Weight
Your pants are a bit tight, you can't seem to stop eating junk, and you're tired all of the time. It's time to get healthy and lose weight.
Lose Weight and Exercise Now - Or Face the Music Later!
My responsibility as a high profile fitness expert lies not in if you like me, or even if you buy my e books. My responsibility lies in giving you straight talk with no sugar coating it.
7 Tips for Dieting Success
There are lots of dieters, trying every sort of plan to lose weight and get healthier. But, rather than examine diet plans or the details of how and why low-carb diets work, here are some useful tips that can be used in any diet plan -- and, really, in any sensible approach to eating.
Put Down That Brownie! Just One Bite Can Knock You Off Plan
It is very important for low carb dietersto stick to the exact plan prescribed ina book or by a doctor or dietitian.Taking even "one bite" of somethingthat is not on the plan can easilyruin a dieter's progress on a lowcarb plan.
Have You Given Up on Weight Loss?
Have You Given Up on Weight Loss?
by Greg Landry, M.S
I receive several email messages every day
from people who have given up on weight loss.
When is a Diet not a Diet? When Its a Lifestyle!
Dieting and weight loss is almost certainly the most lucrative of all health- related businesses both online and off. our waistlines are bulging, our health is deteriorating and diet "guru's" are on the run.
Diet Tips for Weight Loss: Free Diet Tips Which You Cant Afford to Miss!
Obesity is a disease that is not caused by a bacteria or virus but a person's own eating habits. It is a disease which is very easy to get rid of just by changing your food habits.
Diet and Exercise Evolution: Adaptation (part I) -- Theory
Adaptation is the most important concept I teach. The human body adapts to the pressures it is put under with the goal of prolonging life.
Weight-loss Tip: Add Extra Calcium to a Low-Fat Diet
Got milk? New research suggests you should if you want to lose weight. The weight loss study shows that calcium, three or four daily servings of low-fat dairy products, can help adjust your body's fat-burning machinery.
The Myth of Spot Reducing
There is no such thing as spot reducing. Any fat you lose comes off in the same proportion it's stored in your body.
Gastric Bypass Patients Should Include Tomatoes in Their Diet
After weight loss surgery it is important to include as many healthy foods in our diet as possible while still respecting the the restrictive nature gastric bypass system. One of the foods that many patients report having a high tolerance for is tomatoes.
What You Need to Know Before Starting a Low Carb Diet
In the last 12 months or so, low carbohydrate diets have captured the hearts and weight loss hopes of the American public. And why not? These diets promise quick weight loss and the ability to keep eating fatty foods.
Slimming Solutions
Here are 5 solutions to slimming:1. Set Mini-Goals: Try setting short-term or "mini" goals to help you achieve your goal of shedding the excess weight.
Ancient Olympians Followed Atkins Diet
Atkins diet was unknown 35 years ago. Though it seems that ancient people - athletes particularly - followed a strict diet which is likewise Atkins basic.
Walk Your Way to Weight Loss
"The sovereign invigorator of the body is exercise, and of all the exercises walking is the best." Thomas JeffersonThe problem of obesity is growing (pardon the pun) in America and it doesn't appear that dieting alone is helping people with their weight loss goals.
After WLS: Goodbye Self-Loathing! Hello Self-Loving!
You won't believe what happened to me today!I was getting ready for work and saw myself naked in the full-length mirror and I didn't hate what I saw! I actually gave myself an unrehearsed slightly passive self-compliment "You don't look bad today."The reason this is monumental is because most of the time when I look in the mirror I do not like what I see and I give myself harsh criticism.
What Low Carb Dieters Should Know About Nitrates And Nitrites
Nitrates and nitrites are preservatives that are added to certain meats to affect a desirable color and preventthe growth of poisons and bacteria. When nitratesand nitrites are exposed to heat and other conditionsduring the curing process, they are sometimes transformedinto nitrosamines, which have been linked to cancerin a number of studies.
Rating the Fad Diets
THE 200 POINT SYSTEMWith so many different diets available, how are we to know what works and what is safe? The only way to be sure is to discover the author's background and the research behind the diet's methodology. Every good diet should give a background about the author and his/her credentials and experience in the fields of nutrition and biochemistry.
How to Lose Weight While Gardening
Have you ever dreaded the idea of pulling weeds, planting a tree, or pushing a lawn mower around the yard?Does just thinking about it make you sweat? I am sure the majority of are nodding your heads in agreement. What I am about to suggest only takes a slight change in your thinking and a bit of planning and you can learn how to lose weight and get in better shape while gardening this year.
|
