It always starts out so innocently. You come across something you'd love to eat and in your heart, you know it's bad for you. You know it's going to put distance between you and your goals. You've been doing so good and you don't want to ruin it all now. You have no intention of ruining it all now.
But the temptation just won't go away. Before you know it, you find yourself muttering those dangerous words: "I'll just have one bite." But has this ever gotten out of control for you?
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How many times have you said that one? We all have! And we all know it never goes as planned. That one bite turns into one french fry. That one fry turns into a whole meal, with a burger and a soda to wash it down. That one meal opens the door for your unhealthy habits to creep back in and keep you from reaching the goals you've been working so hard for.
Now, don't get me wrong here–I'm not saying we all need to be perfect all of the time. Even after losing 55 pounds in 90 days and keeping the weight off for five years now, there's something about me that hasn't changed. I still love food! I love the way it smells, I love the way it tastes, I love the satisfaction you get from enjoying something delicious. And I wouldn't dare tell you to give up your favorite foods, no matter how "bad" they are.
If you like cheesecake, you can eat cheesecake. If you like pizza, then you can eat pizza. If you like ice cream, then go ahead and enjoy a bowl. That's fine! But don't fool yourself into thinking you're "just going to have a bite." Because then once the entire carton's gone, you're going to feel terrible and lose all of your motivation.
The trick to eating your favorite foods, without sabotaging your results, is to plan ahead of time. Don't just give in to those ice cream cravings whenever you feel them. Accept the cravings. Accept the fact that you really love ice cream … and then schedule a meal where you're able to eat that ice cream guilt-free.
It's called a cheat meal, and when you do it right, it can actually help you burn more fat! That's right! Eating those forbidden "junk" foods you love so much can actually help you become slim and sexy. But this only works when you're eating healthy the rest of the time.
You see, after days and weeks of eating healthy, your metabolism slows down. Your body doesn't want to lose fat too quickly. It wants to stay in balance. So it figures that if you're giving it less calories, then it doesn't have to burn as many calories. And that's the perfect time for your cheat meal. That's the one meal per week where you want to go wild–eat that ice cream, that pizza, or anything else you've been dreaming about.
The high-calorie meal will trick your body into thinking, "Okay, here comes the food again, so I can speed this metabolism back up." The hormones responsible for burning fat get boosted, the pounds start melting away. All while you're fully satisfied because you know this time next week, you're able to do it all again.
So the key is to be honest with yourself. Don't lie and say you're only going to have one bite. Plan your cheat meal, live it up, and burn fat while doing it. That's the key to looking great without ever feeling deprived of your favorite foods.
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