I love a good cheat day… I mean grilled chicken, rice, veggies, or a salad can only satisfy me for so long. For myself, a cheat meal helps me not resent my healthy eating choices and gives me something to look forward to. I tend to usually do a cheat meal once a week, it’s almost like a reward to myself for working hard and eating healthy.

Instead of a cheat day, I make it a cheat meal. If I had an entire day to eat whatever, I would probably overdo it…as would anyone! I focus on a meal or specific snack I’ve been craving and want to have. Keeping it to a meal will help you from undoing your efforts from the rest of the week. Trust me, just stick to a cheat meal haha.

I also love to plan it out, whether it’s at the beginning of the week or weekend, I try to plan out my eating that day and include my cheat meal. Don’t just have a cheat meal whenever you have a craving, plan it out and be strategic. Plus, planning out exactly when and what you’ll splurge on gives you something to look forward to.

Pace yourself, aka slow down! Don’t go crazy. Give your body time to digest the food, sometimes our mind is bigger than our stomach. I recommend going out to lunch or dinner with friends, so you can enjoy your meal. Eating while we chat gives our stomach time to tell our brain that we’re full.

Hydrate!! A lot of times you feel hungry, you are actual dehydrated. Drink plenty of water, especially if you are eating sodium rich foods. This will help prevent bloating the next day and flush everything out.

Remember to not overdo your cheat meal. While I still want to splurge on something tasty, I try and make sure it contains fresh food vs processed food. If I want a burger, I’m not going to McDonald’s, I’m going to go to a local restaurant that has grass-feed beef burgers. If I want chips, I’m not going to grab a bag of Lays, I’ll do tortillas and salsa.

XO

Joie