Probably like me, during the week you're doing great. You eat clean, healthy food, do your exercise and stick to your routine and then the weekend comes and then everything goes out the window. You forget to eat to your regular times, drink and eat too much and then you're too tired to exercise. Does that sound familiar?
  
wine, chocolate or fast food...what's your cheat?
Well don't beat yourself up too much. Having a cheat/treat meal - and I say meal or a couple meals on one day- not a treat weekend is great for your metabolism and general wellbeing. Here's why:
#1 reason for a treat meal is that Exercising and trying to eat perfect everyday can make you feel sluggish in the gym. Having a high carb and high fat day at the end of the week causes leptin levels to spike. This is important because low leptin levels caused by prolonged dieting will lead to a decrease in metabolism and an increase in appetite.
#2 reason for treat meal is that you are in a better mood. Being on clean, low calorie diet constantly can make you cranky and want to gnaw your arm off!
#3 reason for treat meal is that knowing you have one day/meal to look forward to indulge in whatever you like you will more than likely keep you on your meal plan during the week.
If you've already got yourelf into a good eating and training routine, then all the parties leading up to christmas should be easy work for you. As long as you plan for it that is! If you've been invited to a few parties, give yourself only 1 party where you'll allow yourself to enjoy the event and eat/drink what you like. At the other events, stick as good as you can to clean eating and try not to have alcohol. There are so many calories that its not worth drinking it only trying to thrash yourself with cardio all of the following week.
Larb Gai, my favourite cheat food ever
If you're not already in a good clean eating regime and you've already been in the festive mode for a couple weeks, its still not too late to change your habit so that you can indulge in the treat meal on Christmas day. For the next couple of weeks cut back a little on your calories during the week but not to the extent you're starving yourself, perhaps increase your activity so that you're burning more calories during the week and on the weekend give yourself a break and have one cheat meal. Continue this for a couple of weeks and by christmas you'll be in a great routine so that your New Year's resolution to start that New Body Challenge won't be so hard..
So as you can see, Christmas time offers some great reasons to cheat on your diet without the guilt. You exercise hard all week and disciplined with your eating, so why not enjoy yourself over the christmas period and not beat yourself up about it.
Lisa, Go Figure
6 Dec 10
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