If you’ve ever thought about cheating on your diet you’re not alone. Trust us. For most people they think of things like pizza, cake, maybe a nice creamy pasta dish, as flat out cheating on a healthy lifestyle. They label these types of meals as bad and think that if you’re trying to lead a healthy lifestyle then you absolutely, positively CANNOT eat these things. This is fake news, everyone. You absolutely can indulge in delicious food and still meet your goals; it’s time we shift our mindset that “cheating is bad.” In fact, it’s super important to program out regularly scheduled “breaks” in your diet in order to help you progress forward. It’s no different than taking a vacation at work to come back refreshed and ready to work hard again. Now, when we’re talking about diet breaks we’re not talking about taking a month off to get back on the saddle. Diet breaks are a strategy to help make your healthy lifestyle a little bit easier, and there are certain times and reasons that we take them. There are also different types of breaks, and each one has a specific purpose and plan to help you stay on track. The weekly cheat When you’ve been following your plan for a few weeks, it’s time to reward yourself. If you’re consistent with your meal plan 80% of the time you will see results, which means the other 20% can be a little more loose in following the plan. So what does that look like? 1 meal a week you can choose whatever you would like and not log it, track it, weigh it, or measure it. The 3 hour window If you’ve stuck to your plan for 2 weeks then it’s time to have a 3 hour window break. This means that for 1 day you have a 3 hour window where you don’t have to worry about what you’re eating. This break is great for parties, graduations, or social gatherings where you’ll want to enjoy yourself without worrying about it. One tip is to not take the 3 hour window within a few days of your check in because it will likely cause you to gain a few pounds due to water weight. Within 3-4 days your weight will go back to normal. The Holiday There’s only 2 days you should take a full day off to eat whatever you want: Thanksgiving and Christmas. The whole reason you are on this fitness journey to begin with is because you want to be able to serve your family and spend more time with them, so it seems a little illogical to spend family holidays scrutinizing every meal and whipping out your food scale. The legitimate break There are time when you need a legitimate 1 or 2 week break from your meal plan. We never recommend doing this without a coach to guide you, but if you find yourself extremely stressed out and perhaps you’ve been inconsistent with your plan it may be time to take a week or two off to reset. It may just be the break you need! We hope that this helps guide you through your healthy lifestyle, because life should be about living, and nutrition shouldn’t be weird.
