Are we best to eat strictly within our deficit for 6 days a week and then have a cheat day with no accountability.
or
Is it healthier to eat treats as you fancy within your daily deficit.
They reply is that a daily treat is much healthier approach as the phrase 'Cheat day' imposes an all-or-nothing view of foods, and the word cheating identifies that we are dieting, were as none of us here are on diets, we are just creating Healthy Habits, within Healthy Lifestyles.
I hear others describe the day as a 'Naughty day'/'Binge day' this implies that the food we eat on that day is wrong/unhealthy for us, which is harmful to our mindsets and can lead to increasing our craving sensations for certain foods which then can lead to binging.
Its important that if we crave a certain food that we enjoy that food in moderation, satisfying the craving, whilst holding ourselves accountable by tracking what we have eaten.
If chocolate is your treat;
A Cadburys Freddo 18g - 95kCal
A Cadburys Dairy Milk Little Bar 18g - 96kCal
A Two Finger KitKat 20.7g - 104kCal
or Crisps;
Pickled Onion Monster Munch 20g - 99kCal
Quavers 16g - 86kCal
Walkers Ready Salted 25g - 126kCal
or Nuts;
Plain Cashew Nuts 20g - 115kCal
Roasted & Salted Peanuts 20g - 120kCal
Walnuts 20g - 138kCal
or Fruit;
Pealed Satsuma 90g - 37kCal
Banana Without Skin 100g - 81kCal
or a Drink;
Single Gin and Slimline Tonic - 56kCal
175ml Red Wine - 133kCal
1 Pint Lager - 136kCal
Single Vodka and Diet Coke - 54kCal
Single Baileys 25ml - 82kCal (For EH Monday Group, 75ml - 247kCal)
A treat a day does not damage your day or your journey, it allows you to continue to stay strong and focused, as all food in moderation is good for us allowing us to sustain our healthy choices, and habits.
If you felt that you needed a day off making healthy choices by having a blow out/binging day, eating all foods and drinks you fancied, with no consideration of quantity or accountability, this will impact your health and your journeys.
Why? There is nothing dangerous about having a day off, where you don't consume nutritious meals. The aspiration of eating as much junk food/unhealthy foods attainable in a day is unwise, leading to an unhealthy weight gain, and can be discouraging to your journey.
Often the food you eat on said days are overindulgent of carbohydrates, salt and sugar which often lead to water retention, and heighten the senses for craving even more food.
Cheat days inturn affect our mindset as it can lead to guilt, shame, disappointment and the feeling of defeat. The repeative cycle can cause you to then comfort eat.
Having a treat a day is a far better choice than having a cheat day, the small daily treats; i.e. Chocolate, savory snacks, Pie Night at the Pub, etc... allows us to be happier in ourselves and within our journeys and lives, as we have no guilt or disappointment over the foods we've eaten, as there is no such thing as a bad day or bad food, as we are balancing our deficit to fit around our healthy choices and lifestyles getting a nutritious balance.
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