If you are on a diet or have ever been on a diet, then you know that there are many times you want to eat a food that you are not “supposed” to have. With all the amazing foods in the world, there is temptation everywhere! Doughnuts and cakes, cookies and pastries- you need them all! But your diet says no. So you resist.
However, is refraining from those mouth-watering foods really good for you or is it better to actually give in once in a while? In fact, it is! Cheating on your diet has many benefits that you may not be aware of. An experienced catering company can help you develop meals and menus to incorporate cheat meals into your daily routine. A caterer will also be able to stick to your diet with the majority of your meals and only let you cheat when it is healthy. While your caterer whips up your new meal plan with some ‘cheat’ foods involved, grab that cookie you have been craving and keep reading!
Regulate your Hormones
When you diet, you typically cut calories in one form or another. Less calories leads to weight loss as you are consuming fewer calories than your body needs to function which leads to your bodying burning other components for fuel such as fat. However, eventually your body adjusts to this low calorie lifestyle and the leptin (a hormone that regulates your appetite) and the ghrelin (a hormone that tells you when you are full) will also adjust. This means that less food is satisfying and your body will no longer lose weight from a low calorie diet as this is just your new normal.
Eating a cheat meal will help to jumpstart your metabolism and regulate these hormones. One larger, not diet friendly meal will encourage your body to keep burning those excess fats! Plan at least one cheat meal a week to prevent your body to adjusting to the low calorie diet.
Motivation
Knowing that you have a cheat meal coming up, helps you stick to your diet. Think about it- are you likely to eat and enjoy that healthy salad when you know that the next day you can have the hearty steak you have been craving? Absolutely! An indulgent reward food is like a prize at the end of the week. You work hard knowing that you will soon have that food you crave and this has been proven to help dieters stay on track. So plan your special treat and use it to motivate you through the week!
Mental Health
When you are on a diet, your mind may be thinking about food constantly. You resist temptation, fight off cravings and assess every meal you consume. This can be exhausting! It can also lead to an unhealthy relationship with food where you see many items as “bad” and beat yourself up when you want these “bad things”.
The best way to keep your mind at ease and steer clear of making food your enemy is to plan a cheat meal. Incorporating foods into your diet that may not be part of your strict regimen will help you relax, stay positive and help you enjoy food.
One… Not Twenty
By scheduling a cheat meal once, a week, it will actually prevent you from cheating on your diet the rest of the time. As you well know, temptation is everywhere! You are going to want to eat foods that are not on your diet constantly as they will be in front of you often. However, you are more likely to resist and stick to your diet if you already have a cheat meal planned. One pre planned meal means the ability to resist the hundreds of unhealthy food that cross your path.
Cheat Smart
When you plan your cheat meal, you still want to eat smart. Use “real” ingredients to make your meal like honey instead of processed white sugar and pure dark chocolate instead of cheap milk chocolate. If you crave a cookie, make it a delicious homemade cookie and toss in a few flaxseeds or whole wheat flour so while it is still a cheat food, it has a little bit of healthfulness. There are plenty of ways to satisfy your cravings and cheat on your diet while still doing it intelligently!
So are you ready to cheat? Great! The next step is to call your favorite local caterer and ask them for help. Have them make you a menu that incorporates all your favorite diet friendly foods with those sinful treats that you are definitely allowed to have!