Cheating on Your Diet? Don’t Panic!

August 18th, 2010 | Posted in Diet tips | No Comments » | Share this article

Fact - We all cheat on our diets!

Fiction - This means we won’t achieve our goals!

Diets are hard work and they take a lot of motivation to stick to but part of that motivation stems from the odd rule break! Setting aside one day every fortnight or a month for treats is a great way to keep you focused on a diet and you can work towards that day every time you begin to struggle with the next mouthful of broccoli when all you want is a roast potato!

Organized cheating!

Cheating on a diet is almost a likely prediction but how often you cheat will make the difference between getting the results you want and not! When you first start a diet, you should assign one day every two weeks that you can use to eat whatever you fancy with no guilt attached. The longer the diet goes on, the longer you should without your treat day and after a few months you should only enjoy a treat day once a month. This way, not only do you get to fulfil your cravings but you also get to take the pressure off yourself without it making a massive difference to your diet!

Cheat meals!

Treat days, cheat meals, reward meals or free meals; whatever you want to call it, these can make a massive difference to our focus! There is nothing productive about depriving yourself of things you enjoy so don’t. Cut back on the destructive things you enjoy but do NOT cut them out!

Goals vs. insanity!

Achieving your goals in your weight loss program will not be done if you go insane in the process. Eating rabbit food every day for a month will make you moody and hungry; two things that will destroy your motivation! Create a meal plan so you know what you will be eating and when for a week and try to work the occassional naughty food buffer into the week somewhere so if you know you are going to the cinema on Friday; keep your treat day for your popcorn and candy!

Don’t overuse the treats…

The problem with some people is that once they know there is a way out of a tiresome diet it will be constantly used as an excuse to cheat! You will not achieve your goals if everytime you fancy a candy bar you eat it because it will make you moody if you don’t! Everything in moderation – Good food in your diet, treats in your diet, off days from workouts and hard workouts should all be done in small doses to avoid you from getting too worn out or too frustrated!