6 Cheat Meal Mistakes You Should Never Make!

Picture this: you are dieting and you see everyone around eating a lavish meal, while you stick to salads alone. We feel you. Its tough to stop yourself from eating all sorts of junk and unhealthy foods while embarking on a weight loss journey. But sometimes it feels great to let go, to stop trying and striving to control everything and just give into your impulses. Enter the concept of a cheat meal - something most serial dieters are familiar with - when you get to eat anything you like to your heart's content. Or so you think!

Ideally, a cheat meal is a reward for eating clean, staying active through the week or month. The reward may include taking the shackles off your menu and eating whatever you like. So you eat what you have been craving for, so that the craving stops and you can get back to your diet plan with all new vigor and enthusiasm. However, going overboard on cheat meals can be tricky and reverse all the hard work you have done all this while.

6 Grave Cheat Mistakes You Should Never Make

1. Cheating too frequently

If you are cheating too frequently, are you even serious about your diet plan? Frequent cheat meals will only lead to an addiction to sugar and junk foods, which will lead to frequent cravings while you are dieting. You will never be able to succeed if you are binging every two-three days between your strict diet plans. Always have a designated date for a cheat meal, so you will be motivated to reach there after having followed your plan properly.

2. Over-indulging on your cheat day

The word 'cheat' in the word cheat-meal is a misnomer. It does not mean that you can go overboard while having foods like cupcakes, burger, pizza, et al. You can easily get more than the recommended calorie count in just one cheat meal, which basically can ruin a whole week of dieting, nullifying your hard work. The idea of cheat meal is to break the monotony of the diet and binge a little as a reward for your sacrifices.

3. Conveniently forgetting working out

Cheat meal does not mean you forget your exercises for the day. Remember, you are adding on to extra calories by ingesting junk foods; in order to shed those calories, you would need to work out as per the plan, so you will know you earned your meal.

4. Un-planned cheat meal

You cannot be having your cheat meal whenever you like or how much you want. It is best to plan your cheat meal prior; suppose you plan it towards the end of the week, it feels like a reward for a job well done. Every week, you will be looking forward to your cheat meals and stay motivated. Other than this, plan what you would eat and prepare a satisfying serving. The plan will make you mentally prepared and keep things under control._{Eating junk food can increase calories.}

5. It is cheat meal, not a cheat day!

Remember, it is a cheat meal and not a cheat day that you end up cheating the whole day without worrying about your calorie intake. One meal to satisfy your cravings is enough; otherwise you may end up undoing an entire week's worth simply by overeating.

6. Not having cheat meals at all

Now, you don't have sacrifice your cravings completely. People often come to a conclusion to think that a strict diet plan may help lose weight and a deviation in the plan may ruin everything. Weight loss is a gradual process, hence, you should allow yourself tiny breaks from the strict regimen, however in a controlled way.

Dieting is not a punishment, and works only when you embrace it whole heartedly. Cheat meals can work very well for those who take this meal as a way of giving in to their cravings, only to get back to their promise of healthy eating with renewed zest. Keep it simple and see the results unfold!