How to 'Cheat' on Your Non-Cheat Days

Hello, my little lovelies!

So I know there are days when we're supposed to be healthy, but we just can't help those cravings that we get for delicious, unhealthy foods that we are supposed to avoid. I have found some ways to go around that still satisfy the craving but won't completely derail you so bad that you want to give up.

Keep things steamed or baked.

So one of the things that I have struggled with is fried food. I absolutely love fried food. When you fry something, it just gives it this amazing flavor that just doesn't compare when it's not fried. So I have worked around this by either steaming things or baking them. One example I have is steamed dumplings. I love dumplings. Dumplings are great, and they are delicious. But they are carb-heavy and tend to carry a lot of calories, especially when they are fried. So what I do is get steamed dumplings and eat them with half a cup of plain white rice. It is more than satisfying, and I satisfy that craving that's been bugging me. Also, some things like chips or fried chicken can be baked in the oven and still taste amazing. Want some potato chips? Slice up some potatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper, and whatever seasonings you want and stick them in the oven and let them cook until they get nice and crispy. Fried chicken? Bread the chicken in seasoned bread crumbs, spray with oil, and stick in the oven until crispy. A lot of the foods we love that are normally fried can be baked. It's just a matter of preparation and the things that suit you.

Stick to veggies when you go out.

So at some point during our fitness journey, we have friends that love to go out to eat and often pester you to go out to eat. Now you can still go out to eat, enjoy yourself, and still maintain your diet. Sticking to vegetable dishes is a great way to do that because they already don't have a lot of calories, and veggies are quite filling no matter how you eat them. Mexican restaurants are great at offering vegetarian dishes and they are often quite delicious. Almost every restaurant has vegetarian options. Now those options may be fried, but they don't contain as many calories as fried meat items do. So if you go out to eat stick with veggies. Now if you're eating sushi, it's really not that big of a deal. Sushi, unless you request it to be fried, is pretty healthy because it's raw. There are also vegetarian options for sushi, too; so if you really want to stick to veggies when eating sushi then there are those options. I've had them, and they are quite delicious, too.

Healthy Desserts

So one of the things we crave that is normally not so healthy is dessert. Everyone loves a good piece of chocolate cake or something deep fried and smothered in chocolate. Unfortunately, the only alternative I could come up with for myself was fruit dipped in either almond butter or peanut butter. Now if you're like me and like things really sweet, I suggest adding either honey, or, if you're a vegan, some agave nectar. Now, if you can't help but want that sugar, use coconut sugar. It's a healthier version of sugar, albeit more expensive. What I like to do is, because I like instant gratification, make smoothies because of the easy cleanup. I just throw a bunch of fruit into the blender, along with almond milk, usually a scoop of protein peanut butter, and some protein powder and then just let the blender do the rest of the work.