Why Every Weight Loss Plan Needs a Cheat Day

Nothing had gone according to plan that day…

After a week of strict dedication to my clean eating diet, I bit into the juiciest, mouthwatering cheeseburger you have ever tasted in your life.

I was consumed with guilt the next day, and I just knew my diet was a bust.

But shockingly…

When Monday rolled around, I had still hit my five-pound weight loss target.

And then I thought…hmmm…maybe I could get away with a little bit of indulgence towards the end of the week and still see results.

Something was going to have to give or I wouldn’t be able to stick with the plan…

So I continued to indulge once a week, and surprisingly continued to see great progress!

The Reason It Works

As odd as it may sound, adding in cheat days equals more success in the long run.

Yeah, you heard that right.

Moreover, there are many experts that feel similarly.

An article on eatthis.com, by Cecelia Smith, titled 16 Cheat Meal Strategies for Weight Loss, states that “dietary cheaters almost always prosper” and “a weekly cheat meal has been proven to boost your metabolism and ward off feelings of deprivation.”

The article further states that this enhances “not only your ability to lose weight, but your ability to stick to your diet plan as well.”

I became a vegetarian a few years ago when I ventured more deeply into my spiritual journey.

While I do consider myself a spiritual person and a disciplined one, I know firsthand the importance of a good cheat day or two for weight loss success.

Of course, you have to be sensible about your cheat day and you can’t go overboard.

The Mindset Shift

First of all, any plan you are on should not be gimmicky or trendy. It should not just be a diet.

Diets are not sustainable in the long run because they are too restrictive.

In an article by Meg Selig, over on psychologytoday.com, titled Why Diets Don’t Work…and What Does, she states that “since dieting, by definition, is a temporary food plan, it won’t work in the long run.”

The article goes on to add:

“Moreover, the deprivation of restrictive diets may lead to a diet-overeat or diet-binge cycle. And since your body doesn’t want you to starve, it responds to overly-restrictive diets by slowing your metabolism, which of course makes it harder to lose weight.”

What you should actually be aiming for is a lifestyle change. With a lifestyle change, you have a change of mindset.

Your mindset should not be let me commit to this incredibly torturous, restrictive diet for two months so I can quickly lose weight then go back to eating cheeseburgers every day…

But rather, how can I make this plan work in a practical, sensible way that I can live with and maintain for the long haul.

That is the only way you can see lasting results and attain true success when it comes to health and weight loss.

The Personal Touch

I eat a vegetarian diet five days a week, but on the weekends, I indulge. On the weekend I often eat my favorite food — seafood. I love fish, scallops, shrimp, mussels, oysters…and so on.

If I want fried chicken on the weekends, I eat that too. And I thoroughly enjoy it with no guilt whatsoever.

In fact, I look forward to it throughout the week.

To be honest, it’s the only way I stick to my vegetarian diet throughout the week.

Still, let me be clear…

I’ve become accustomed to my meals consisting of a beyond burger with brown rice and broccoli, and I actually enjoy them.

But there’s no way I could eat only like that for the rest of my life. (Some people can, but not me.)

The bottom line is find a great plan with aspects that you love and can live with, and then tweak it and make it your own.

This is your sweet spot and where you will see sustainable and lasting results.

And remember, you have to be sensible about your cheat days. Don’t go too far and do too much damage.

Good luck and good eating!

I make sure I eat well without depriving myself of the things that I love: a cheeseburger and fries, creamy white-truffle pasta, bowls of ice cream. Everything in moderation, but I indulge at least three times a week.

— Kate Hudson

Shout out to

Natasha Nichole Lake

for her amazing article about adjusting to the vegan lifestyle that inspired this story. Here is a link. Go check it out!