What's Better Than A Cheat Meal?

Hint: not needing one at all

Happy brunch, Wellies.

I recently met a human who is engrossed in the cheat-meal culture. The idea of eating “clean” for every meal of the week except for Sunday where he would eat “like an American” and spend the evening on the couch feeling like sh*t.

No offense to my fellow Americans, but we know that there are many places in the US where moderation or health are not words that are in use.

If you’re on a similar cheat meal train, you do you; but know that I’m not a fan.

First and foremost, you’re not in a relationship with food or your diet, so you can’t cheat on your nutrition. Second, you’re not a dog; you don’t need to earn your treats through ‘successful deprivation’.

Sometimes, however, consistent adherence needs a break. You can’t be perfect all the time. Trust me I’ve tried. I get the need to have some fun food; life is too long to not eat yummy stuff.

What if you just made your “nutrition plan” part of your life? As in, your lifestyle is such that you eat as nutritiously as you can 80% of the time, and don’t worry 20% of the time.

Or you never eat two unhealthy meals back to back (whatever unhealthy means to you)?

Or you are just the kind of person who only eats sugar when you’re at special occasions?

What if you didn’t need to deem eating something delicious and fun as a “cheat”?

What if you just ate in a way that made all foods part of the plan?

What if you just ate foods with a frequency and quantity aligned with your goals?

Why you should normalize eating delicious things

1. Psychological Relief: makes you feel like a regular human; not one on a diet, restricted to one insane meal once per week.

2. Metabolic Boost: the boost in leptin every once in a while might actually help you stick to eating your greens on a regular basis.

3. Satisfaction of Cravings: If you just eat the thing that you’re craving (instead of a similar, unsatisfying frankenfood) can help reduce the likelihood of unplanned binge eating later because you’ve been avoiding what you really want.

4. Social Flexibility: Going out to dinner with pals or a loved one might “wreck” your progress. Spoiler alert - it won’t. Having a lovely meal is part of life. What, are you never going to go out unless it’s part of your “diet” or eat at a restaurant unless you can have a bazillion calories from a wheelbarrow of food? K, let me know how that works out.

Why I’m not a fan of “cheat meals”

1. Binge potential: If you’re eating yourself into an oblivion once per week, no judgement. Been there many times. Just know you’re probably creating a huge dopamine dump and conditioning your brain into a reward response loop of binge eating. It’s a tough one to dig out of; trust me.

2. Guilt and Shame: Having a giant, crazy-pants meal might lead to guilt and shame afterwards (for a million reasons). Also been there; it’s not a fun place. If you’re relying on that meal once per week, perhaps you might want to consider why? What purpose is it serving? How does it really make you feel? Why do you need to have this meal?

3. Disruption of Progress: If you’re eating/bingeing/”cheating” (ugh) too much for you - remember N doesn’t equal 1 - you might be kicking the can of your goals down the road. This is especially true if you’re choosing high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods. Why would you want to put yourself through that psychological stress?

How to incorporate delicious things into your life

Reframe the language

• Stop calling it a "cheat meal" FFS

• Call it a "planned exception" or "conscious choice" to create positive connotation

Positive mindset

• Remember occasional delicious things are part of a happy food life

• Lose guilt and shame from eating enjoyable foods - that voice in your head probably isn’t even yours

• One meal doesn't derail your entire nutrition plan, so why not just call it ‘eating normally’?

• Focus on enjoying your choice instead of agonizing or shining a spotlight on why it’s an exception

What’s helped me (and what I’m working on)

Avoiding all-or-nothing thinking: I don’t have to be perfect all the time, even though I want to be. Excellence can be flexible sometimes and on occasion.

Maintaining self-compassion: Each meal is an opportunity to make a positive choice. I choose mostly healthy things, but sometimes I don’t and that’s part of life! I didn’t cheat on anything just because I wasn’t perfect.

Create sustainable habits: My nutrition plan is mostly fixed the way I like it, but I don’t plan on a weekly gorge because everything is off-limits other than one timeslot during the week.

The goal is to transform "cheat meals" from a moment of guilt to a positive part of your overall nutrition strategy, goals for health, and lifestyle.

Doesn’t that sound far more freeing than chaining yourself to one slot of time where you turn into kirby the human vacuum cleaner?

Love ya