Cheat Days? The 80% Rule

Often times I've been asked about "cheat days" and if I believe in them.

Yes and no is my answer.

I personally don't prefer the term "cheat day" as this implies you are giving yourself a license to eat whatever you want, no matter the portion size!

Rather, it is possible to eat clean and healthy most days of the week and allow yourself a day, or two, where you eat whatever you want - IN MODERATED PORTION SIZE.

Now, many individuals would argue that this is not a good strategy to follow. 

But, let me offer my perspective and I'll let you judge.

As I've written in my first post, I went through a phase in college where I dropped over 45 pounds in one semester and starved myself of many foods. I watched my calorie intake like a hawk and overexercised.

The result? A 170 pound guy whose mind was looking for a way to justify intake of the foods he had deprived himself of. Those foods which a human has an innate craving for - namely fats and sugars.

I rebounded from that day till my graduation 2 years later - gaining over 80 pounds!

A lifetime of healthy eating involves obstacles, parties, and bad foods. In order to sustain such a lifestyle where most days you don't eat high fat or high sugar/refined foods is to allow yourself a day or two where you eat what you want.

I like to call this the 80% rule. An "all or nothing" strategy will get you nowhere other than frustration and potential rebound.

Here are some tips:

• Plan ahead as to which day or days will be your day to eat whatever you want.
• I don't recommend more than 2 days!
• Avoid foods with trans fatty acids
• If you can, limit the number of meals that day where you will eat whatever you want.
• Try to only eat those foods which you really crave
• Example: if you love Cheesecake, then eat cheesecake - but don't eat a chocolate cookie along with it if you don't care for the cookie much.
• Remember portion sizes matter! 
• Don't go crazy and overindulge!
• Drink plenty of iced water and do some physical activity to counter the effects of guilt.

Remember, eating healthy is a lifelong commitment! Don't be a victim of "fad" diets that count points, calories, or other metric - only to be frustrated and switch to another diet (a.k.a. "Yo-Yo Dieting")

One final thing to remember - if you are a binge eater and have a problem with controlling what you eat, have an accountable friend help you control your portion sizes for those foods you can't control yourself on.

Feel free to comment or contact me if you have any questions and thanks for reading!

- Asif

asiffasih@hotmail.com