So, you’ve been ignoring all those tubs of ice cream that have been calling your name in the supermarket freezer; you have not stopped to get any fast food in over a month, and you have learnt to drink your tea without those two spoons of sugar. Yup, you have been doing good. So good that the scale has been good to you, and you now feel that you can reward yourself with one cheat day.

Breaks the monotony

Before you get your mind all bogged down with

dirty thoughts, please note that the ‘cheat day’ being referred to has to do

with food consumption and only that. For the uninitiated, ‘cheat day’ is any day of the week during which a

person following a diet disregards the regular restrictions on the amount or

kinds of food they can eat.

Having a cheat day is not a bad thing, as it breaks the monotony of eating the same thing when you are on a diet. Most people are not very adventurous when it comes to eating healthy so they may stick to preparing the same thing over and over, and after a while it all tastes like cardboard, as you are chewing but you do not enjoy the meal.

Fool your body

When trying to shed some pounds, we tend to

decrease our calorie intake and over time our body will recognise that it is

not getting what it used to. It will, therefore, try to restore what it

considers a ‘balance’, level off and slow down your metabolism. This is why having

a cheat day occasionally is good for you, as you can fool your body into

thinking it is getting a calorie overload, and therefore it restarts its

ability to burn fat. Yea!!

On your cheat day enjoy your favourite meal,

but do not overindulge and eat as if there is no tomorrow. Avoid processed foods

and packaged treats as much as possible because they have no nutritional value

and empty calories are the worst to pack on. And because you are having foods

you like does not mean that you forget to do the rest which is staying hydrated

and exercising. Food is one thing, but do not completely ‘slack off’.

Though it may be your cheat day, try not to feel guilty about enjoying your meal. Life is too short to live with regrets.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of BUZZ or its employees.