Cheat Meals Are Good For You!

Hey guys,

I am finally able to bring some good news! Not too sure whether the (circumstance-imposed) fast on Friday has something to do with it or not, but I have finally lost some weight!!! I am 55.6kg this week, which is 1.1kg lighter than last Saturday! Isn’t this awesome?

But (like a 9 a.m. TV infomercial) … THAT’S NOT ALL! I have also lost on average of centimetre from each of my measuring points (waist, hips, thighs, legs), which brings my centimetre loss since Jan 2 to a total of 22cm.

I feel like I have won the Olympics!!! Yeah!!!

As my attitude to food has changed completely, my “free day” (yesterday) is not really as appealing to me as it used to be. You see, the first two weeks I used to plan my free day for the remaining 6 days. All I could think of, was what I am going to eat on Free Day.
Now, though, things have changed. My meals during free day are in no way different to my meals during the week, unless there is a special occasion that I am attending. Guess what? Valentine’s day qualifies as one of these.

So, I ate pretty clean the whole Saturday except for dinner when hubby and I went to a cool new restaurant called Gold, promising “Opulent African Cuisine”. I did eat quite a bit – things I wouldn’t normally eat, and had 2 glasses of wine, but after all, this is the objective of the weight loss exercise, right? To enjoy life… a little bit.

I am already back on track this morning with my egg whites and a protein bar for snack and am planning an extra long run in the late afternoon to re-start the fat loss engine. I hope it works!

Mel

Jeni:
Mel,

Your progress is phenomenal! I know you were getting quite disheartened in the last few weeks. You had hit a plateau (which by the way happens to everyone at some time or another) and you were completely disillusioned. Finally, you have broken through the barrier and are now on the next level.

How can I explain this? It is like growth spurts in babies. If you have ever had a baby, you will know that for the first 3-4 months or so, you religiously go to the baby clinic every week and monitor the weight gain of your precious little bundle. It is a big drama when your baby stays at 4.3kg for three weeks in a row! (As if anyone ever remained that weight!) You worry, change the formula brand and do all sorts of stuff to no avail. Then suddenly, the next time you go to the clinic, your little angel is suddenly 5.1kg and you start breathing again.

What I am trying to say is, plateaus are a completely natural part of the weight loss journey. It is simply a period of re-adjustment for your body. Your static weight is NOT an indication that nothing is happening and you will see the results, if you are only a tad bit patient.

On the cheat meal subject, I want to calm all of you down. DON’T PANIC!
Cheat meal is actually good for you! As long as you stick to 1-2 of them a week!

Cheat meals have both psychological and physiological benefits for you.
On the psychological side of things, it acts as a reward and a keeping-you-sane tool. After all, we are all human and everyone will be in a situation where they feel like something different from time to time. If the eating plan is so strict as to not allow that, chances are that at some stage, the plan will get abandoned. And this is where those 95% of dieters that never keep the weight off (that we always read about) get it wrong. Dieting is a lifestyle change, not a temporary measure and if you are going to change your eating habits for a short period of time only – don’t bother. You will see NO lasting results.
And as much as we try to break away from the notion of “food is a reward”, it is a difficult thing to do and it will take time. After all, it is something that has been “engraved” in your brain and sensory perception since birth. The fancier the food, the fancier the party, right?

But the physiological effects of cheat meals on your body are even more important! I have said this before and I will say it again: Your body is the most intelligent computer currently in existence. You may be able to fool it for a short period of time, but in the long term – it will outsmart you!
The body’s main mission is to preserve itself. That’s why it stores fat. So, when the time comes that food is not forthcoming, it can use the fat reserves.
By reducing your caloric intake to a certain level (not too much, cause then the body goes into starvation) you force the body to use stored fat in order to make up for the difference in calories between what it needs and what it’s getting. But eventually, it gets used to it. It figures out that “this is how much calories I will be getting going forward, so I need to make a plan and learn to function on them”. It’s like you, budgeting your income. You can live on R20K a month and if you were to lose your job and take another one, at say R15K a month, you will eventually figure out how to make your lifestyle fit your new income level. Otherwise, you will bankrupt!
So, by following a strict eating plan, you train your body to survive on less calories. That’s a good thing. Having a cheat meal works as a “shock” to the system and essentially, convinces your body that it will be getting more, so there is no need for it to learn to function on less.

You may experience a temporary weight gain (may be even a kg or two) after a cheat meal. Don’t panic! It’s not all fat! Chances are, your cheat meal had a bit too much salt or grease than what you are used to and your body is holding some water to process this “junk”. Just increase your water intake the next day and things will be back to normal. (In order to add a kg of fat to your body, you need to consume 9,000kcal, which is quite hard to do in one meal!)

Having said that, having too many cheat meals WILL sabotage your efforts. That is why, I advise my clients to have all their cheat meals in one day. Saturday, in Mel’s case. If you were to have a cheat meal on Wednesday, another one on Friday and so forth, I can guarantee you that by Sunday you will have forgotten that you cheated on Wednesday and you will have way more cheat meals than you think. Therefore, by combining all your cheat meals in the same day, it is easier to keep track. If you have a “bad” breakfast and a heavy lunch, chances are that you will pull yourself together by dinner and will not overindulge. But I your cheat lunch was on Tuesday, do you think you will remember that when your colleagues invite you for sundowners after work on Friday?

To make a long story short, what I am saying is: Cheat meals are good for you and have a definite place in your diet. However, if you are eating 35 meals a week (i.e. 5 meals times 7 days) you need to make sure that at least 31-33 of these meals are “clean” and in line with your goals. Then let go and enjoy the rest!

Ciao!
Jeni