A SMART DIETER’S GUIDE TO CHEAT MEALS

You can cheat, guiltfree, and still keep tabs on your weightloss journey. Experts tell you how

W e all crave a perfect and healthy body, and so we opt to go on a diet that suits us and keeps us on the right track with our fitness level. However, how much can you live on controlled portions and constant calorie checks? At some point, you do crave a piece of cake or slice of cheesy pizza. Hence, a cheat day per week is crucial. Experts say that a cheat meal curbs the longing for such food the entire week. Here are a few five tips you should follow on the cheat day.

BE SENSIBLE

A cheat day does not mean eating senselessly; we should eat consciously and have controlled portions. If you are you going to dig into carbs or a dessert, then make sure you don’t consume all that junk food in one go. Also, if you know when your cheat day is, make sure you cut down a day before.

HOMECOOKED MEALS

If your cheat meal is homecooked food, which could be a simple halwa and will not harm you as much as outside junk, then there’s nothing like it.

RIGHT DAY, RIGHT AMOUNT

Avoid cheating on days when you have pressure or are stressed as it pushes you to eat more. Overeating also hampers weight loss journey. Make sure you manage the serving. The more you eat unhealthily or gorge on junk, the more you will crave junk food, so the cravings to have a cheat meal will start increasing.

KEEP TABS ON DRINKING

Certain alcoholic drinks contain a large amount of sugar. Thus, consuming it will increase your calorie intake. Alcohol blocks fat oxidation, which in turn quickens the rate at which dietary fat is stored as body fat. So it’s not just calories from alcohol but also the food that we eat with it. The best way is to have not more than two pegs, and making sure that you leave adequate gap between drinking and sleeping so that it can be digested.

CHECK THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE

Pick a meal that still has nutritional value instead of something with calories or high fat. Carbohydrates help you burn fat while the process of digesting protein requires more energy than fats which don’t give your metabolism a boost. So rather than going for a burger, go for a sushi, or team pancakes with an egg white omelet and spaghetti, or pasta with meatballs to add a nutritional element. n prerna.gauba@htlive.com (With inputs from dietitians, Tapasya Mudra and Ritika Samaddar)

PHOTOS: ISTOCK A cheat day does not mean eating senselessly. We should eat consciously and have controlled portions