Holiday Indulgence: It’s Fine to Leverage Cheat Meals (Wisely)
Who doesn’t love cheat meals? I mean, they’re a treat to break up what many can consider a boring diet. Now, I (personally) like to follow a lifestyle diet where I don’t restrict myself. I simply eat clean every day, but when I want a “treat,” I’m not going to worry about if I should have it or not — I just eat it. And when the holidays roll around, I simply plan accordingly, and it’s what I recommend you do too.
Holiday Weight Gain
When it comes to the holidays, many consider it a time when they loosen up their belts a little, toss on some stretching pants, and say the heck with their diet. While I’m not here to tell you that’s a poor strategy, I will say there’s a better way to go about it so that after the holidays are over, you’re not sitting there wondering how you’re going to burn off the ten pounds you put on in a matter of a week or two.
Related Article: 7 Tips to Help Prevent Holiday Weight Gain
And don’t think for a minute that you’re alone with holiday weight gain. It happens to the best of us. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be avoided — assuming you can plan your cheat meals accordingly.
Time spent with friends and family around the holidays generally means time around delicious food and fantastic conversations (maybe even some adult beverages here and there). I used to be “that guy” who would refrain from eating a dessert or drinking with friends and family because I didn’t want to “mess up my diet.” But the more I structured my cheat meals and workouts, I found I could have my cake and eat it too — literally!
You see, when it comes to cheat meals, there isn’t an exact definition of how much of something you can or can’t eat — it’s incredibly vague. So, I’m going to help you and say the heck with it. Let me explain.
Plan Your Cheat Meals Accordingly
For the most part, we all know when we are having a family gathering or a holiday party with friends. Therefore, you can schedule your workouts and cheat meals around those events. Here’s what I recommend, and you can try it yourself.
1. Exercise the days leading up to the holiday as well as the morning of
A good strategy is to focus on crushing your workouts the week of a holiday since you know you’ll want to enjoy some cheat meals — or even just a few treats here and there. Hit the weights hard and put in the time to do a little extra cardio.
Then when the day comes for your cheat meals or holiday gatherings, make sure you hit the gym first thing in the morning to work up a good sweat and burn off some calories that you’ll definitely be replacing later on in the day. You could even do an at-home workout with something like resistance bands (which I recommend everyone has). What this will do is help you not feel so bad or guilty if you grab an extra sliver of your favorite pie or dessert or go back up for seconds of your favorite dish. It’s as if a weight was taken off of your shoulders, and you can actually (dare I say) enjoy yourself.
2. Plan your meals around the holiday or event
Clearly, if you are planning your cheat meals around the holidays, I would not recommend having cheat meals the week of or maybe even two weeks prior. Keep your meals clean leading up to the big day (or days), and even consider dropping your calories to put yourself in a deficit. This would allow you to fill in the calories you removed the day of a holiday and allow you to consume all the good food you’ve waited all year for.
Related Article: Healthy Tips for the Holidays — It’s Easier Than Ever!
However, this isn’t a free for all. You still need to know your limits and not go entirely overboard by eating everything in sight. Sure, having some cheat meals around the holidays may be a good idea, but you still don’t want to overeat to the point you’re blowing your daily caloric numbers through the roof. Be somewhat mindful of the food you are consuming and in what quantities.
On the day of your cheat meals, try to keep your nutrition light leading up to the event. Don’t go into a meal already most of the way through your recommended intake for the day, or you will absolutely blow your calories for the day out of the water. Eat light in the morning and even the afternoon leading up to an event. That will give you a little more leeway going into your cheat meals.
Don’t Let the Thought of Food Consume Your Emotions
The holidays are a time when you should spend your energy and emotions being happy around friends, family, and loved ones. Don’t let the thought of food and cheat meals consume your energy and emotions. Others around you didn’t ask you to watch what you eat or live a healthy lifestyle — it’s something you wanted to do for yourself. So, don’t let the thought of food ruin your time and experience as well as those around you.
Related Article: How to Make It Through the Holidays Without Gaining Weight
If you follow what was mentioned above, you’ll put yourself in an excellent position to maintain your weight even while tossing in a few cheat meals over the holidays. And I’ll guarantee you one thing, if you use what was laid out above, you’ll also enjoy your holiday much more than if you were all over your nutrition and didn’t enjoy all the food because you considered it “not part of your diet.”
Enjoy your holiday, and more importantly, enjoy the delicious food, cheat meals, and time with those around you. You put in the time and effort all year and the days and weeks leading up to the holidays. Now, it’s time to enjoy yourself.
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