Cheat meals- the way I see it, and try to do it.

I do not like the word diet- I prefer lifestyle change.  The way most of us have done things in the past didn't work so well, because it was to us a diet.  In my opinion diet comes with connotations of temporary, and temporary doesn't work long term.  We need to take a look at what we eat and why we eat... Are we an emotional  eater, stress eater, are we eating out of boredom?   Perhaps we 'forget to eat'- only to realize later that we are starving!!  We all have certain triggers that could potentially bring in a full out binge.  Learning to eat healthy is also a journey to learn about yourself.  

If you feel that your life is stressful, think on what you can do to change things around- there are so many things, sometimes I make myself a list when feeling overwhelmed.. Once I do this and look at it, I become grounded back into the present moment and realize most of what is going on is not right at the moment and not happening all at once.  I'm also a believer in learning meditation to help.

I digress lol... Basically when changing your eating habits and lifestyle you should come up with other strategies to help cope with why you may be over eating/ eating the 'wrong' foods .

This brings me back to Cheat Meals.  I believe they are ok, as long as you plan for it and keep it to one meal:) in the early stages perhaps wait a couple weeks before introducing your cheat.  Still I Try for the most part to keep it to a decent portion size..not an all you can eat buffet- especially if you are on a weight loss journey.  Predominantly I eat fish and chicken, so perhaps my cheat will incorporate some red meat.  What I have learned is to watch my triggers.  I avoid milk chocolate/simple sugars because these are something that I just can't seem to get enough of and from MY experience can lead to an all out food orgy for a few days.  

When eating healthy ( and my choice is 'clean' I believe cheat meals help us to continue this healthy change in lifestyle....When planned for they also alleviate any guilty feelings that used to be associated with eating something you typically wouldn't in your regular day.  I love food! I love to eat:)

In a later article I'll tell you how eating clean can still be delicious!!

So Yay! For cheat meals!! Just watch/know your triggers!